Representative citizens of Connecticut, biographical memorial

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GENETALOGY COLLECTTON

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REPRESENTAIIYE CITIZENS

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CONNECTICUT

BIOGRAPHICAL
MEMORIAL

UNDER THE EDITORIAL SUPERVISION OF

QAMIJEL HART. D. D., D. C. L.

PRESIDENT OF

CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL SOCIETY

EDITION DE LUXE

THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
NEW YORK

1916

FOREWORD 1204161

*HE historic spirit faithful to the record; the discerning judgf-
ment, unmoved by prejudice and uncolored by undue enthu-
siasm : — these are as essential in giving the life of the indi-
vidual as in wrriting the history of a people. Each one of us
is "the heir of all the ages, in the foremost files of time." We
build upon the solid foundations laid by the strenuous efiforts
of the fathers w^ho have gone before us. Nothing is more fitting, and,
indeed, more important than that we should familiarize ourselves with their
work and personality; for it is they who have lifted us up to the lofty posi-
tions from which we are working out our separate careers. "Lest we for-
get," it is important that we gather up the fleeting memories of the past,
and give them permanent record in well-chosen words of biography, and in
such reproduction of the long lost faces as modern science makes possible.
The State of Connecticut has been the scene of events of vast import-
ance, and the home of some of the most illustrious men of the nation. Her
sons have shed luster upon her name in every profession and calling; and
wherever they have dispersed they have been a power for ideal citizenship
and good government. Their names adorn every walk of life, — in art,
science, statesmanship, government, in advanced industrial and commercial
prosperity. Their achievements constitute an inheritance upon which the
present generation has entered, and the advantages secured from so great a
bequeathment depend largely upon the fidelity with which is conducted the
study of the lives of those who have transmitted so precious a legacy.

The province of the present work is that of according due recognition to
many leading and representative citizens who have thus reflected honor
upon their State and community. It cannot but have a large and increasing
intrinsic value, in its historic utility, in the interest attaching to the subject
matter, and in the inspiration derived from the record of worthies of the past
who have largely made the Nation and the State what they are to-day. For
by far the greater part, the narratives embrace detailed information drawn
immediately from family records, and publishers and readers will alike
gratefully recognize the interest and loyalty to the memory of their forbears,
that moved the custodians of such information to thus place in preservable
accessible form records which would otherwise be lost.

THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

^y^i'Z^o-^f^^i^O-^L^Z^LLu.y^^^Z

ilronson Mm\)tx Cuttle

^UTTLE is a name of great antiquity in England, being derived,
supposedly, from the word Tuthill (Conical hill), a name
givenin earlier times to a number of localities in that coun-
try. The family bearing the name, belonging to these places,
was particularly prominent in Devonshire. It was from
Hertfordshire, the parish of St. Albans, that William Tuttle,
the direct ancestor of Bronson Beecher Tuttle, migrated to
the New England colonies in the year 1635, and from that time to the
present, the members of the family have held a prominent place among the
worthy representatives of their adopted land.

Eben Clark Tuttle, father of Bronson Beecher Tuttle, was born at
Prospect, Connecticut, in the year 1806, and lived in that town during most
of his youth and young manhood, removing to Naugatuck, Connecticut,
when his son, Bronson Beecher, was thirteen years of age. Eben Clark
Tuttle was the inventor and manufacturer of the modern "gooseneck" form
of hoe. His business in course of time grew to very large proportions, as his
invention entirely supplanted in popular favor the old form of the imple-
ment. He occupied a prominent place in the ranks of manufacturers, being
scrupulously honorable in all his dealings, and bearing a reputation for
public and private integrity second to no man in the land. By his honorable
exertions and moral attributes, he carved out for himself friends, affluence
and position, and by the strength and force of his character he overcame
obstacles which to others less courageous and less hopeful would seem
unsurmountable.

Bronson Beecher Tuttle was born at Prospect, Connecticut, December
28, 1835, and there passed the first years of his life. At the age of thirteen he
went with his father to Naugatuck, and until the time of his death made it
his home. He was educated at the well known institution of Mr. Daniel
Chase, in Middletown, Connecticut, and later at the excellent Naugatuck
High School under the supervision of I'rofessor Lawrence. Upon the com-
pletion of his studies in the latter institution, he entered the manufactory of
his father, and mastered the business both in entirety and in detail. This
business formed the nucleus of what became the large Tuttle interests in
many parts of the country. In 1857 the principal business was the manufac-
ture of hoes, rakes, small agricultural implements, etc., and the malleable
iron department was a very small concern and simply a side issue to the rest
of the plant. That year the entire business was burned, agricultural works
and all, and Mr. Eben Clark Tuttle, and several other men interested with
him in the Tuttle Hoe Manufacturing Company, decided to turn the entire
malleable iron industry over to Bronson Beecher Tuttle and John H. Whitte-
more, each about twenty-one years of age, and they rebuilt the malleable
iron plant, on the same site, and achieved a high degree of success. They
continued as partners until about 1894 when a stock company was formed.
Afterwards they were associated together in business and held common

2 'Bton0on 15ttciftt Cuttle

interests in many different things, but not in the relation of partners. Mr.
Whittemore was early employed in New York City, but lost his position
through panic times and conditions. Mr. Leroy Hinman, a friend of his
family, induced him to come to Naugatuck, and then the question came up as
to building the destroyed iron plant. Later Mr. Tuttle became the president
of the Pratt Manufacturing Company, at No. 71 Broadway, New York City,
handlers of railroad track supplies. He became identified with the National
Malleable Iron Company and with many other industrial concerns. From
these various important interests he derived in course of time a very large
fortune, and became a dominating figure in the industrial and financial
world. Through these concerns, he was also connected with institutions of
a more purely financial character, such as the Naugatuck National Bank and
the Savings Bank. He was also greatly interested in Chicago real estate.

While Mr. Tuttle's life was mainly occupied with great manufacturing
problems and the industrial development of his own and other localities, he
was very far from being the type of man, too often seen, who confines his
abilities and interests solely within the limits of his personal pursuits. On
the contrary, despite the demands made upon both time and energy by the
great business interests which he represented, he gave generous thought and
service to many other personal activities, especially such as would advance
the welfare of the community of which he was a member. One of the
valuable bequests made by him to Naugatuck was that of a tract of land
situated in the immediate neighborhood for cemetery purposes. This is now
controlled and managed by the Grove Cemetery Association, and it was here
that four years after the death of Mr. Tuttle, a beautiful mortuary chapel
was erected in his memory by his wife.

It was inevitable that one so public-spirited and so disinterestedly con-
cerned in the public welfare should take a keen interest in the political ques-
tions of the day. He was a member of the Republican party and very influ-
ential in its councils, yet taking little part in active politics. Nevertheless he
did not refuse to do his part in oftice, when called upon by his party, and he
bore its standard as candidate for the General Assembly. Mr. Tuttle's popu-
larity and prominence were of a kind to make practically certain his election
from the outset, and his campaign resulted as was expected. During his
term in the State Senate he held a distinguished place in that body, and
worked actively in behalf of the people's interests.

Mr. Tuttle married, October 12, 1859, Mary A. Wilcox, daughter of
Rodney Wilcox, of Litchfield, Connecticut. She was born October 3, 1835,
at Madison, Connecticut. Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle were the parents of one child,
a son, Howard Beecher, born October 25, 1863. He was graduated from
Yale University with the class of 1887, and is now a large holder of real
estate and beautiful farm lands. He married, October 24, 1888, Jeanette
Seymour, of Naugatuck, daughter of Zerah and Minerva (Manchester) Sey-
mour. Children: Donald Seymour, born February 4, 1890, graduate of
Yale University; Muriel Seymour, born September 24, 1891, graduate of
Westover School; Ruby Seymour, born October 19, 1894, graduate of Dana
Hall.

The death of Mr. Tuttle left a vacancy in the community impossible to

Igron0on IBttcbtt Cuttle 3

fill. He was one of the most prominent manufacturers in the State of Con-
necticut. His commercial integrity was ever unquestioned. His estimable
and forceful character and skilled organizing- powers were given broadly and
generously to the community at large. His personality with its many
lovable and admirable traits was revealed to the smaller circle which com-
posed his family and friends. He was a man of marked sensitiveness and
quiet reserve which gave to his countenance a suggestion of sternness. The
stranger might suspect him of being cold and reserved, but in truth the
warmest of hearts beat beneath his breast, and he cherished a sympathy
broad enough to embrace entire humanity from the highest to the lowest,
and to include within it all classes and ranks. His religious affiliations were
with the Congregational church, and he was a constant attendant, an atten-
tive listener and devout worshiper. As in all matters with which he was
connected, he was a liberal supporter of the church, both in personal service
and by generous giving. In the various benevolences and philanthropies
connected therewith, he was splendidly liberal. It was characteristic of him,
however, to so guard his beneficence lest it appear ostentatious, that even
those benefited by him rarely knew their benefactor. His death, which
occurred September 12, 1903, though sudden and startling, was not unantici-
pated by Mr. Tuttle for considerable time, and his friends bear witness to
the unusual courage with which he faced the last dread reality without quail-
ing, with a mind prepared and tranquil, and a "conscience void of offence
toward God and man."

This sketch cannot be more appropriately closed than with a quotation
from one who delivered the dedicatory address of the Tuttle Memorial
Chapel, erected through the generosity of Mrs. Tuttle and opened for the
use of the public in "God's Acre:"

He achieved success, not by accident, hut by the constant application of effort, and
by the continued practice of thrift. His attainment, and it was high, did not separate him
from the humblest humanity if it were honorable. * * * j^^ could discerningly detect
shams and he spared them not in sharp, sound judgment. He despised any deference to
himself for his wealth and asked only to be weighed for his worth. He was absolutely
loyal as a friend. He was a wholesome example as a father. He was fond and faithful
as a husband. He was fine as a citizen. He lived justly, loved mercy, and walked
humbly with God.

Babft Witlh ^lumb

I AVID WELLS PLUMB was a member of one of the oldest
New England families, a family representative of the best
type which came from the "Mother Country" and estab-
lished the English people as the foundation of the social
structure in the United States. Dominant and persistent in
character and blood, it has given the prevailing traits to the
population of this country, which no subsequent inroads of
foreign races has sufficed to submerge, and has formed a base for our citizen-
ship upon which the whole vast and composite fabric of this growing peoole
is being erected in safety. The Plumb arms are as follows: Argent. A
bend vaire, or and gules, between two bendlets vert. Crest. Out of a ducal
coronet, a plume of ostrich feathers, proper.

It was sometime prior to the year 1634 when the founder of the Plumb
family in this country came to the then scarcely established Colony of New
London and settled there. This enterprising voyager was George Plumb,
of Taworth, Essex, England. From him David Wells Plumb of this sketch
traced his descent directly to George Plumb, of Essex, being seven genera-
tions removed from this ancestor. The steps in this descent were as fol-
lows: George Plumb, already mentioned; John Plumb, born in New Lon-
don in 1634, married Miss Elizabeth Green about 1662; Joseph Plumb, born
in Milford, Connecticut, in 1671. married Susannah Newton; Noah Plumb,
born in Stratford, Connecticut, 1709, married (first) Abiah Piatt and
(second) Abigail Curtiss ; David Plumb, born June 25, 1751, married Mary
Beach, December 29, 1776. This David Plumb, who lived during the Revo-
lutionary period, was also a native of Stratford, and the grandfather of
David Wells Plumb. His son was another Noah Plumb, born in Trumbull,
Connecticut, May 3, 1782, and was twice married. His first wife was a lady
by the name of Thankful Beach, after whose death Mr. Plumb was again
married, this time to Uvania Wells, the mother of David Wells Plumb.

David Wells Plumb, the oldest child of Noah and Uvania (Wells)
Plumb, was born in 1809 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and in that city passed
his childhood and early youth, attending the local schools and obtaining an
excellent education thereat. Upon the completion of his schooling, Mr.
Plumb removed from Bridgeport to Derby, Connecticut, and there entered
business. He did not remain in that place, however, but soon went to Anso-
nia. Derby's near neighbor, and there engaged in a woolen trade which he
conducted with a high degree of success. He rapidly wrought for himself a
prominent place in the mercantile world of that region, and came to be
looked upon as one of the most substantial and progressive business men in
the associated towns of Derby and Ansonia. He did not confine his business
connections to his own woolen interests, but became identified with a
number of important concerns in varying departments of industry. Among
these were the Star Pin Company and the Silver Plate Cutlery Company, in
both of which he held the position of president, and the Birmingham

DaufD dOclIg piiimti 5

National Bank, of which he was vice-president, and director for twenty-two
years. He was also president of the Housatonic and Shelton Water compa-
nies. In his various business interests Mr. Plumb amassed a very consider-
able fortune, which he was ever ready to expend in the most liberal and
openhanded manner wherever he saw an opportunity of advancing^ the inter-
ests of the community at large or any deserving- member of it. The public
interest was always in his thought and he was the principal mover in many
institutions of which the people are the beneficiaries. Among these is the
Riverview Park, a project carried out by himself whereby he hoped to pro-
vide an appropriate playground for the public. This park was planned bv
him, the grounds laid out, the site selected and the name given all by him,
and it was he who supplied the necessary funds for its completion. One of
his chief ambitions for the community was the founding of an adequate
library at Shelton, in which place he had taken up his abode, and he con-
nected himself with the Library Association, an organization with this end
in view. Of this he became the president, and held the office until the end of
his life. At his death he willed a large fund to the accomplishment of this,
his pet design. A brother of Mr. Plumb took charge of this matter and in
course of time one of the handsomest library buildings in the state of Con-
necticut was reared and became the home of the Plumb Memorial Library.
This collection is a great benefit to the people of the town, containing, as it
does, many departments of literature and art, especially one devoted to the
formation of the juvenile taste and knowledge.

About all the life of Mr. Plumb hung the mantle of altruism, and even in
relations which with others are apt to be wholly selfish, this could be noted.
In his business and commercial interests, for instance, his own aims never
obscured the rights and hopes of others from his mind, and the interest
which he felt in the general industrial development of the community played
at least as prominent a part in directing his acts as did the consideration of
the success of his personal enterprises. Certain it is that there have been
few men more directly connected with the rise of the large Derby and Anso-
nia industries than Mr. Plumb. He retired from active participation in busi-
ness to his charming home in Shelton, some time before his death, but to
such a man as Mr. Plumb idleness was impossible and he continued to work
at the elaboration of his schemes for the advancement of culture and edu-
cation up to the time of his death. This sad event occurred June 29. 1893,
at his home in Shelton, and caused a profound sense of loss not only among
the members of Mr. Plumb's own family and his host of personal friends and
admirers, but throughout the community at large, who felt only too keenly
that in him they had been deprived of a sincere and active wellwisher and
friend.

Mr. Plumb married, December 7, 1875, Louise Wakelee, a native of the
country about Shelton, where she was born. They were the parents of no
children.

In personal appearance and character, Mr. Plumb was a man of energy
and force. His well developed head and firm jaw were relieved by a mouth
and eye that spoke unmistakably of kindliness and humor. He was a man
of much original thought, and his interest was busy with the great problems

6 DatJiD mem piumft

of the ages, religious, philosophical and social, his opinions on these pro-
found matters being well worthy of consideration. He was a formal mem-
ber of no church or sect, but his instincts and beliefs were essentially relig-
ious and moral, and it may truly be said of him that he was, in fact, a far
better Christian than many of those who professed more loudly. His experi-
ence with life from his earliest youth had been that stern one which teaches
that nothing comes without corresponding effort, and he had accordingly
ordered his life upon a system of self imposed discipline calculated to best
preserve the strength and health he knew were essential to the accomplish-
ment of his ends.

Perhaps no more fitting ending to this sketch of his life could be found
than the tribute offered to his memory by his fellow directors of the Birm-
ingham National Bank, upon the occasion of his death, when they adopted
the following resolutions:

Mr. David W. Plumb, for twenty-two years vice-president and director of this bank,
died at his residence in Shelton, on the evening of the 29th of June last, at the age of
eighty-four years and nine months. Upon us, his associates and fellow directors, falls
the duty of placing upon record our appreciation of his work and worth.

His was a long and busy life, the earlier years of which were years of trial and
struggle. His courage, his patience and perseverance, and, above all, his indomitable
will and intelligent determination, overcame all obstacles, and won for him a success
most richly deserved. With ample resources, so worthily gained, having established
himself in his new home on the heights, and, looking out from its commanding position,
as he surveys the scene of his future activity, this thoughtful man doubtless outlines the
plan of his life. His purpose is revealed in the important part taken by him in carrying
to destined completion that great public work known as the Housatonic Water Com-
pany ; in fostering and encouraging new enterprises ; in adding another name to the long
list of towns made strong and prosperous by the thrift and energy of New England
manufacturers ; in contributing to the endowment of a hospital in the place where he
was born ; and in the gift which made possible and actual a public park in the place
where he died.

As in adversity he had shown himself equal to all its exigencies, so his spotless
integrity, sound judgment, independence in thought and action, coolness in time of
financial or other excitement, and faithfulness to duty, revealed him equally equipped
for the difficulties, may it not be said, greater difficulties, which prosperity brings. As
adversity could not depress, so prosperity could not elate him. Mr. Plumb was a man
of character, strong character, simple in his tastes and ways, of pure life, happiest at his
home. His fondness for reading and a most retenitve memory made his knowledge
extensive, accurate and responsive to call. I-iis opinions were his own, and when formed
were not easily changed.

Summoned many times by a confiding constituency to the legislative councils of the
State, his fidelity was as conspicuous as his knowledge of the needs and aids, which wise
legislation should supply, was varied and accurate. With him public office was indeed
a public trust. In his death this bank has lost an intelligent, efficient, faithful officer, one
who, believing that the acceptance of office involved the obligation of fulfilling strictly all
its duties, was uniformally present at its meetings, and by his watchful care and wise
council rendered invaluable service to this institution.

The members of this board keenly feel the loss of a courteous and most intelligent
member, associating with whom has given them the highest appreciation of his character
and worth. To the family of Mr. Plumb they tender their sincere condolence, and direct
the secretary to transmit to them this expression of their own loss and their sympathy
with them in their bereavement. (July, 1893).

3(of)n ilotoarli Igaiiittemore

'OHN HOWARD WHTTTEMORE, whose death. May 28,
1910, deprived Connecticut of one of her most prominent
and useful citizens, and the industrial world of one of its
most successful organizers, was a member of an old English
family which has been traced back to the twelfth century
and which, from that time onward, has held a distinguished
position, whether in the land of its origin or in that new
world which its members, in common with so many hardy compatriots, saw
fit to adopt.

The original family name of Mr. Whittemore's ancestors was de Boterel
(or Botrel), and the first to bear it, of whom we have record, was one Peter
de Boterel, who flourished in Stafi^ordshire, England, during the middle part
of the twelfth century. The family, not long after, were given the name of
the locality where they resided, after the well-nigh universal habit of the
time, and so became known as Whitemere, a name signifying white mere or
lake. This spelling was gradually altered and modified, taking many forms
until the present form of Whittemore was reached. This was not fixed,
indeed, until after Thomas, who still called himself Whitmore, had come
from Hitchin, Hertford county, England, in or about 1639, and settled in
Charlestown, Massachusetts. His descendants continued to reside in that
locality until 1698, when one of them removed to Mansfield, Connecticut.

This was Joseph Whittemore, the great-grandfather of John Howard
Whittemore. In the following generation the family removed to Bolton,
Connecticut, where they remained a considerable period. Rev. William
Howe Whittemore, the father of John Howard Whittemore, having been
born there in the year 1800. The career of Rev. William Howe Whittemore
was a most honorable and useful one. He was a clergyman of the Congrega-
tional church, having graduated from the Yale School of Divinity, and
afterwards had charge of a number of important churches in Massachusetts,
Connecticut and New York State. For fourteen years he was pastor of the
Congregational Church of Southbury, Connecticut, and it was while living
in that town that John Howard Whittemore was born, October 3, 1837. He
was the third of the four children born to the Rev. Mr. Whittemore and his
wife. Maria (Clark) Whittemore, a member of one of the oldest New Haven
families, and one which had distinguished itself in the history of Connec-
ticut, both as a Colony and State.

John Howard Whittemore spent his childhood and early youth in the
town of his birth, attending the local Southbury schools until twelve years
of age, at which time he was sent to the well known school of General Wil-
liam H. Russell, at New Haven, known as the Collegiate and Commercial
Institute. He continued four years there, preparing himself for college, it
being his intention to enter Yale University. This intention was, however,
abandoned and he turned instead to a business career, securing a position
at the age of sixteen years in the firm of Shepard & Morgan, commission

8 Joftn l^otoarD 2at)ittemote

brokers. It would have been difficult to find two more capable preceptors in
all matters pertaining- to the principles and detail of business procedure than
the two members of this firm, they being Elliott F. Shepard and Edwin D.
Morgan Jr., and it is very obvious that the }oung man profited by their
instructions in a degree which drew their favorable attention to him. It is
obvious from the fact that, upon the dissolution of Shepard & Morgan in
1857, Mr. Whittemore was at once oflfered a position in the house of the elder
Mr. Morgan, well known as the "war governor" of New York. He did not
remain long in this employ, however, removing his residence to Naugatuck,
Connecticut, as he supposed temporarily, though as a matter of fact it was
to continue his home for the remainder of his life.

It was here, in the following year, 1858, while Mr. Whittemore yet
lacked something of his twenty-first birthday, that he formed an association
which was to continue through life, and introduced him to the industrial
career with which his name is so closely identified. This is the great mal-
leable iron business in the development of which he was so important a
figure, that his history might almost be said to be that of the industry for
many years. His manner ol entrance into this line was through securing
employment with the E. C. Tuttle Company. This work he supposed was
but temporary, but his handling of it gave so much ground for satisfaction
that he was still in the firm's service when a few months later the plant was
destroyed by fire. How great was the favor he had already won in that short
employment may be gathered from the request of Bronson B. Tuttle, a son
of E. C. Tuttle, that Mr. Whittemore join him as partner in a new firm
to be founded. Mr. Whittemore had not desired or intended to remain
in Naugatuck, his great fondness for New York City urging him to return
there, but in the light of the serious depression at that time in the business
world, he felt that it was the part of wisdom to accept this ofifer, and accord-
ingly the firm of Tuttle & Whittemore was constituted. The art of making-
malleable iron castings was just beginning to receive attention, and the firm
of Tuttle & Whittemore was among the first in the country to take up the
invention in a practical manner. The attempt prospered from the outset and
the concern grew as did the malleable iron industry, until it became one of
the largest of its kind in the country. In 1871 it was incorporated under the
name of the Tuttle & Whittemore Company, and in 1881 it became the
Naugatuck Malleable Iron Company, with Mr. Whittemore as president, an
office which he held for upwards of twenty years. As the business of the
company increased, Mr. Whittemore's influence and prominence in the
industrial world of the country became very great, and his interests gradu-
ally widened until they embraced foundries and manufacturies throughout
the United States. Besides those in Bridgeport these included concerns at
New York, New Britain, Troy, Sharon, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis
and Toledo, in the management of all of which he took an active part, and
acted as a director of each.

It was not merely in the malleable iron industry that Mr. Whittemore's
business intrests lay, however, but throughout the financial world generally
that his influence was felt. He was a director in the Landers, Frary & Clark
Corporation and the North and Judd Manufacturing Company, both of New

3Iol?n IDotoarP mmtemott 9

Britain, a founder and director of the Naiigatuck National Bank, a trustee
of the Naugatuck Savings Bank, and he served as president of the Colonial
Trust Company of Waterbury. He was also the owner of very large real
estate interests in Chicago and other places. Perhaps the office which gave
him the most satisfaction, because of the immense concerns at stake, was his
directorship in the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, and his
membership upon its executive board. He was a man of very powerful per-
sonality and the most progressive designs, and after the year 1905 he occu-
pied a leading place among his fellow directors of the railroad. It was to
him that the great improvements made in the service after that period were
due, and especially in the facilities given the people of Naugatuck and
Waterbury, and the Naugatuck Valley generally.

Great as were his services to the industrial development of his State and
the country at large, it is an open question if his most characteristic, and
even his most important work was not of a more local nature. His great
efforts toward the beautifying and embellishing of the communities in which
he lived are of course referred to, efforts occupying a large portion of his
time during the latter half of his life, and crowned with the most splendid
success. He was a man of the keenest appreciation of nature, and coming
in contact with the notable work of Charles Eliot, a son of Dr. Charles Eliot,
of Harvard, in the direction of landscape architecture, he had his attention
strongly turned toward that delightful art. He at once conceived the idea
of applying its principles on a great scale to the problem presented by the
town of Naugatuck and of Middlebury. where he had established a beautiful
summer home. These two places and the whole region between were the
subiect of the most extensive operations, designed to increase the beauty of
the neighborhood and utilize every natural advantage already enjoved there.
In Mr. Eliot, and after that gentleman's death in Mr. Warren H. Manning,
of Boston, Mr. Whittemore found most able lieutenants and assistants in
the carrying out of his schemes, which in their completion have given a
unique character to the places involved. Taking his Naugatuck and Middle-
bury homes as starting points, he gradually put into operation plans which
involved the cutting of new streets, the planting of trees, the constructing of
new and the reconstructing of old buildings for public use, all with the end
of creating and developing a civic centre and the shaping of the entire neigh-
borhood to an artistic unity with reference to this. Nor was it merely the
two comnmnities in which his homes were situated that were subjected to
this treatment. His plans of an even larger mold, contemplated the beauti-
fying of the whole region. Large tracts of land were acquired to insure
the continuance of attractive outlooks, entire neighborhoods were cleared
or planted to increase the natural beauty of the prospects offered by the coun-
tryside, and changes on a large scale instituted along the line of the Nauga-
tuck and Middlebury highroad. Under the influence of these far-reaching
operations, the entire section of country has taken on a new and unique
beauty, a beauty due to the brilliant mind which conceived and the energetic
will which carried into effect so large and original an idea. In regard to the
actual influence for good wrought by all this it would be appropriate to
quote from the very interesting account of the work written by Mr. Man-

lo 3Iof)n l^otoarD mbitttmoxe

ning, who, as above noted, had it in charge after the death of Mr. Eliot.
Says Mr. Manning:

Although his field of effort was intentionally limited, the indirect influence of the
man and his work upon business associates, friends, and observers cannot be measured.
It has been and will continue to be an important factor in fostering the widespread inter-
est in civic improvement, the great increase in which is evident to those who during the
past twenty years have observed the local improvement activities carried on in so many
places, of which Mr. Whittemore's manifold work is more than typical. I think if we
were to know how far his breadth of view, his good taste, and his sound business judg-
ment aflfected the action of others associated with him, we should find that his influence
was really a very important one.

Among the individual benefactions of Mr. Whittemore should be men-
tioned his gift of a large building and site to the hospital valued at $350,000,
and the endowment of the Howard Whittemore Memorial Library.

Mr. Whittemore never took an active part in political life, although
keenly alive to the great issues which agitated the country during his time.
He was a strong Republican, whose beliefs had been hxed during the Civil
War period, when he saw something of slavery in the "underground rail-
way" activities, heard Abraham Lincoln speak, and cast his first ballot for
that great man. But although he took no active part in politics, his sound
judgment and perspicacity were so generally recognized that, much to his
satisfaction, he was appointed a member of the Connecticut Constitutional
Convention in 1902. He was also a representative to the Republican State
Convention of 1908, in which, however, the aims for which he labored were
defeated. In religion Mr. Whittemore was a Congregationalist of a very
broad and tolerant type.

Mr. Whittemore married, June 10, 1863, Julia Anna Spencer, a daughter
of Harris and Thirza (Buckingham) Spencer, of Naugatuck. Connecticut.
To them were born four children, two sons and two daughters: i. Harris,
born November 24, 1864, married Justine Morgan Brockway, of New York
City, September 21, 1892; they have three children: Harris. Jr., Helen
Brockway and Gentrude Spencer. 2. Gertrude Buckingham. 3. Julia, who
died in infancy. 4. John Howard, who died in his sixteenth year.

y^r^ Wr ^^^^^€^^^

aaobert lEafeeman Hill

OBERT WAKEMAN HILL, whose death on July i6. iqog,
removed from Waterbury one of the most conspicuous
figures in the life of the community, and one of her most
prominent and influential citizens, was a member of a well
known and highly respected family which had resided in
that region for a number of generations. The coat-of-arms
of the Hill family: Sable. On a fesse between three
leopards passant guardant or, spotted of the field, as many escallops, gules.
His grandfather, Jared Hill, and his father. Samuel Hill, were both import-
ant men in Waterbury, Connecticut, during their lives, and bequeathed to
their descendant, Robert Wakeman Hill, the high standards of honor and
worth it has long been New England's privilege and office to preserve,
together with the character to maintain them.

Robert Wakeman Hill was born September 20, 1828, in Waterbury,
Connecticut, and there lived the better part of his life, although he made
several extended absences during his youth. He received the elementary
portion of his education in Waterbury, but later removed to New Haven
and attended the Young Men's Institute of that place. Upon completing his
studies he decided to engage in the profession of architecture, and for this
purpose entered the office of Mr. Henry Austin at New Haven as a student,
to learn the business of architecture After he had thoroughly mastered the
details of this business he went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he prac-
ticed with success for several years, then came to Waterbury, Connecticut,
where he continued to practice with great success. He was the pioneer
architect in this section and did much public work for the State, erect-
ing many of the public buildings, etc. After a most successful career, Mr.
Hill finally retired from business, and spent the later years of his life at his
charming home in Waterbury. He had attained the leadership of his pro-
fession in Connecticut and held it for a number of years before his retire-
ment.

Mr. Hill was a conspicuous figure in the general life of Waterbury, his
sympathies being of too broad a nature to permit him to narrow himself
within the limits of his own personal interests. He was a member of the
Republican party, and a keen and intelligent observer of the march of polit-
ical events, both general and local. In the afifairs of the community his
voice was an influential one, though purely from its persuasive power, for he
took no direct part in the game of politics, nor possessed any political
authority as it is now conceived. Mr. Hill took a prominent part in the
Manufacturers' Bank of Waterbury, was on the board of directors and vice-
president at the time of his death. He was very fond of social life and was
an active participant in a number of important clubs and organizations,
having been one of the first members of the Waterbury Club, and a member
of the Mason Clark Commandery, at Waterbury. He was a faithful com-
municant of St. John's Episcopal Church, in Waterbury, aiding materially

12 Bobett maktmm l^ill

with the work of the parish and g^iving generously to the many benevolences
connected therewith.

His death occurred about two months before the completion of his
eighty-first year, and was a loss not only to the host of personal friends,
sincere and devoted, which his lovable and admirable character had gath-
ered about him, but also to the community at large, which collectively had
received a legacy of growth and advancement from his busy life. Mr. Hill
was unmarried.

Mmio'^

Cljarles ilucfeingfjam jilerrtman

'HARLES BUCKINGHAM MERRIMAN, in whose death,
on March 15, 1889, the city of VVaterbury, Connecticut, lost
one of her most prominent and highly respected citizens, was
a member of one of the old Connecticut families, a family
which since early Colonial times has occupied an enviable
position in the regard of the community. The Merriman
arms are as follows: A chevron cotised, charged with three
crescents, between three ravens. Crest. A cubit arm entwined with a ser-
pent and bearing a sword. Motto: Tcrar dum prosim.

The first of the name to live in this country was Capt;nn Nathaniel Mer-
riman, one of the founders of Wallingford, Connecticut, in the year 1670.
The Merrimans continued to live in Wallingford for four generations,
taking part in those stirring events which marked the Colonial period in
New England, one of them lost a wife and daughter killed by Indians, and
finally in the time of Charles Merriman, who enlisted in the Revolution as
a drummer, changed their abode to Watertown in the same State. This
Charles Merriman was the grandfather of Charles Buckingham Merriman,
of this sketch, and his son was William H. Merriman, father of Charles
Buckingham Merriman. William H. Merriman was a prosperous merchant
of Watertown, Connecticut, spent most of his life in that town, but eventually
removed from there to Waterbury, where he lived for the remainder of his
years, and where the family has since resided. He married Sarah Bucking-
ham, of Watertown, a daughter of David and Chloe (Merrill) Buckingham,
of that place, and member of another eminent New England family.

Charles Buckingham Merriman, the eldest child of William H. and
Sarah (Buckingham) Merriman, was born October 9, 1809, in Watertown,
Connecticut, and there passed his childhood and youth. He received the
elementary portion of his education in the excellent public schools of Water-
town, and later attended the Leonard Daggett School, in New Haven. He
accompanied his parents when they removed to Waterbury, in the year
1S39, '^"'^ from that time to his death made that city his home. He was
thirty years of age at the time this move was made, and before that time he
had laeen associated with his father in the latter's business. On his arrival
in Waterbury he entered into a partnership with Ezra Stiles, who was
engaged in a dry goods business in Waterbury, on the corner of Center
square and Leavenworth street. He continued in this association and
enjoyed a good business until the year 1843, when he withdrew in order to
form a partnership with Julius Hotchkiss. under the firm name of the
Hotchkiss <S: Merriman Manufacturing Company, succeeding the firm of
Hotchkiss & Prichard. The Hotchkiss & Merriman Manufacturing Com-
pany was engaged in the manufacture of suspenders and carried on this
industry on a large scale until January. 1857, when it was merged with
another concern, the Warren & Newton Manufacturing Company, in the
same business, into the American Suspender Company. This large corpora-

14 Cftatles TBucbingftam Qgcrrfman

tion finally discontinued its business in 1879, after a most successful career,
which was in no small degree due to the resourceful business management
of Mr. Merriman, who occupied the office of president in the Hotchkiss &
Merriman Manufacturing Company for a considerable period. As years
went on Mr. Merriman became a power in the industrial world of Water-
bury, and his interests gradually broadened to include many of the most
important institutions in the city. He became the president of the Water-
bury Gaslight Company, president of the Waterbury Savings Bank and a
director of the Citizens' National Bank.

In spite of his large and varied industrial and business interests, which
might well be supposed to tax most men's abilities, Mr. Merriman found
time and energy to devote to many other departments of the community's
life. Of these particularly may be mentioned politics, in which he was an
active participant. He was a member of the Republican party and from
early youth had taken a keen and intelligent interest in all questions of
public polity, alike the most general and the most local. His high sense of
right was another force which impelled him to take a hand in the conduct
of the city's affairs, while his zeal, his prominence and general popularity,
quickly impressed his party with his availability as a candidate. It thus
came about that he was elected to the Waterbury Common Council for a
number of terms, and in 1869 was elected mayor of the city, serving from
June 14, of that year for a one-year term. His administration was one which
redounded greatly to his own credit and to the good of the community at
large. Mr. Merriman was a prominent member of St. John's Protestant
Episcopal Church of Waterbury for many years, and served for a consid-
erable period as vestryman. He was an indefatigable worker for the aims of
the church and the parish and did much to aid the many benevolences con-
nected therewith. He was a man of most generous instincts and one who
could not hear unmoved the plea of distress, but his aid was of so unostenta-
tious a kind, that few if any realized the extent of his benefactions.

Mr. Merriman married, June 30, 1841, Mary Margaret Field, a daughter
of Dr. Edward Field, of Waterbury, Connecticut. Dr. Edward Field was
born July i, 1777. at Enfield, Connecticut, where Mrs. Merriman was born
March 12, 1817. Mrs. Merriman's death occurred October 5, 1866. To Mr.
and Mrs. Merriman were born six children, as follows: Charlotte Bucking-
ham. August 21, 1843, died February 9, 191 1 ; Sarah Morton, born Aug-ust 7,
1845, died February 20, 1903; Helen, born January 19, 1848; Margaret Field,
born March 16, 1850, became the wife of Dr. Frank E. Castle, died January
23, 1911; William Buckingham, born June 11, 1853, married Sarah Kings-
bury Parsons; Edward Field, born September i, 1854, died June 28, 1909.

ectMmat\

&

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L^e^C-

JFrebericfe iSenjamin SRtce

FREDERICK BENJAMIN RICE, in whose death on April 22,
1905, the city of Waterbury. Connecticut, lost one of the
most prominent and public spirited of its citizens, was by
origin and every association a New Englander, although his
actual birth occurred in the middle west. He was descended
on both sides of the house from old and highly respected
Connecticut families, whose honorable records, it was his
privilege to sustain and even add to. The earliest paternal ancestor who can
be positively traced was Isaac Rice, who took a creditable and active part in
the American Revolution, but it seems reasonably certain that the family
name before that period was Royce, which would prolong the line much
further. On the maternal side Mr. Rice was able to trace his descent back
through the well known Bronson family to Richard Bronson who lived in
England and died as early as 1478. Mr. Rice's parents, who were Archibald
Elijah and Susan (Bronson) Rice, were natives of Waterbury, and had
passed their youth in that place, but moved to Hudson. Ohio, where Fred-
erick Benjamin Rice was born, September 30, 1843. His parents, however,
did not prolong their stay in Ohio for a great period after his birth, but
returned to Waterbury while he was a mere child, so that all his youthful
associations were with the home of his ancestors. It was there that he was
educated, in the local public schools, and it was there that he spent prac-
tically his whole life, the only exceptions being short absences such as that
in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he took a course in Eastman's Business
College, and his stay in the South with the Union Army during the Civil
War. Upon the return from the former. Mr. Rice began his business career
by taking a position as clerk in the employ of the L. D. Smith Company, a
Waterbury concern in which his father was a stockholder. He later accepted
a better position, althovigh also clerical, with the Apothecaries Hall Com-
pany, a large company doing a wholesale and retail drug business. It was
while thus employed that the Civil War broke out. and in 1862, he enlisted
in the Union Army. He served for a period of thirteen months, most of
which time his regiment was in Louisiana in the command of General
Banks. He enjoyed one well deserved promotion to the rank of corporal in
Company A, Twenty-third Regiment, Connecticut National Guard. In the
month of August, 1863, he received his honorable discharge and returning to
Waterbury, resumed his connection with the Apothecaries Hall Company,
this time in the capacitv of secretary. Mr. Rice's next business connection
was with the Waterbury Lumber and Coal Company, in which he took the
position of secretary, resigning his similar office with the Apothecaries Hall
Company for the purpose. He remained with the lumber concern during a
period of several years, and in the meantime his father, who was interested
in the lumber and coal business secured a controlling interest in the com-
pany, the elder Mr. Rice and his son finally selling out their interests to a
New Britain svndicate. It was while an officer in the Waterbury Lumber

i6 JFreDerick 15eniamin Rice

and Coal Company that Mr. Rice had his attention directed to that line of
business which he finally followed with so much success. The rapid growth
and development of Waterbury were raising the prices of real estate
throughout the neighborhood to higher and higher levels, and this fact could
not fail to be apparent to a man of Mr. Rice's perspicacity, nor the correlated
fact of the great opportunity offered to investment by this property. He at
once engaged in real estate operations, and the building business on a very
large scale, and his exertions were undoubtedly a very important factor in
the development of the city. He particularly directed his attention to
the development of new tracts of property in the region of the city, and was
able to foretell the direction of the latter with such accuracy that he never
made a serious mistake in his operations. These grew to great proportions
and included several large areas of land of which that known as the "Glebe
Land" was typical. In the case of the "Glebe Land" Mr. Rice selected a
tract of what had previously been agricultural land, although agricultural
land of an extremely ungenerous and difiicult character. It was situated to
the northwest of the city and Mr. Rice believed that properly handled, it
might be turned into a splendid and attractive residence section. Accord-
ingly he spared neither effort nor expense, and in the first place he had
removed a solid bed of rock some thirty-four feet in height which sur-
rounded the whole property, an operation which cost him no less than
twenty-five thousand dollars. The event amply justified him, however, as
he had at his disposal sixty-five building lots situated on three streets, upon
which he erected residences of a high type. At present the "Glebe Land"
forms the flourishing northwest section of the city of Waterbury. During
the carrying out of this and many other similar operations, Mr. Rice contin-
ued his building business, with an equal degree of success. From the time of
his entrance upon this line until his death, he built in all seven hundred and
twenty-four buildings including all types from dwellings costing as little
as eighteen hundred dollars, to great business blocks costing one hundred
thousand. Among the largest and most prominent of these were the Con-
cordia Hall, the Grand Army of the Republic building, a number of large
apartment houses. In the "Elton," one of the largest and handsomest hotels
in New England, he was deeph^ interested. In the case of the last named
structure it was erected by a company known as the Waterbury Hotel
Corporation, of which Mr. Rice was the president. Mr. Rice himself gave
the whole operation his most careful supervision, to which fact is attribu-
table in large measure the perfection of its fittings and appurtenances, but he
was not destined to witness its completion, his death intervening shortly
before. During the latter years of his life Mr. Rice assumed a position of
great importance in the Waterbury business world, and exercised a great
power in financial circles in that part of the State. He became president of
a number of large organizations, besides the Waterbury Hotel Corporation,
notably the Apothecaries Hall Company, in which he had been clerk and
secretary years before, and the F. B. Rice Company, a corporation organized
by himself for the more efficient carrying on of his own great business.
Besides this he was a director of the Manufacturers' National Bank of
Waterburv.

jFreDcricb IBtnjamin Rice 17

Mr. Rice did not confine his activities to the conduct of his personal
business or the management of the various great financial interests confided
to him, onerous as the duties involved in their successful management would
seem to most men. On the contrary he was an active participant in almost
all the departments of the community's life. He was greatly interested in
politics, both local and general, and played a conspicuous part in the man-
agement of the city's afifairs. His prominence and general popularity made
him particularly available as a candidate, and he was elected successively
to the ofiices of tax assessor, which he held for five terms, and councilman for
three terms, and besides these elective offices he also served at diflferent
times upon the committees on the water supply, finance and a number of
other municipal boards.

Mr. Rice's broad sympathies were such as to interest him vitally in
many charitable and semi-charitable movements, and in this field also, he
gave most generously of his time and energies. Three institutions were of
particular interest to him, the Waterbury Hospital, the Waterbury Indus-
trial School, and the Girls' Friendly League, all of which he served as a
member of their governing boards.

Any estimate of Mr. Rice's character would be incomplete which left out
his religious affiliations, which played so important a part in his life and
work. He was a member of the First Congregational Church of Water-
bury, and took an active part in the work of the parish, materially aiding in
the support of the many philanthropies connected therewith. He was a man
in whom business decision and judgment were nicely balanced with a gen-
erosity of nature and broadness of human interest which made him a partic-
ularly valuable member of the community and caused his loss to be mourned,
not only by his immediate family and friends, but by his fellow citizens gen-
erally.

Mr. Rice was married, May 23, 1866, to Miss Helen McCullough Mintie,
a daughter of Alexander and Helen (Kenyon) Mintie. To Mr. and Mrs.
Rice were born two children, Helen Susan and Archibald Ernest, of whom
the former died in early childhood, and the latter, together with his mother,
survives Mr. Rice. Mr. Archibald Ernest Rice succeeds his father in the
management of the latter's great business and other interests.

€titoarb ilutler Bunbar

DWARD BUTLER DUNBAR, in whose death on May 9.
1907, Bristol, Connecticut, lost one of its most valued citi-
zens, and one whose name is most closely associated with the
industrial development of the place, was a member of a very
ancient Scotch family, which has held a distinguished place
in the records of the two countries in which it has made its
residence. The Dunbar arms: Gules. A lion rampant
argent. A bordure of the last charged with eight roses of the field. (Gules).
The branch of the Dunbar family of which Mr. Dunbar is a member
traces its descent from the Dunbars of Grange Hill, founded in Scotland by
one Ninian Dunbar, born in 1575, and a descendant of George, Earl Dunbar,
the name being thus derived from the famous Scotch city. The descent as
thus traced has one break in its continuity, but one which the great balance
of probability bridges over. It appears that this Ninian Dunbar had a son
Robert, born in Scotland in the year 1630, of whom trace is lost. In 1655 we
find a Robert Dunbar just come to America and settling in the colony of
Hingham, Massachusetts. All the evidence points to its being the same
man, though the connection has not been absolutely established. He had
been married in the meantime, though where and to whom is not known,
other than that the young lady's Christian name was Rose. They came to
the Colonies together and subsequently became the parents of eight chil-
dren, and were regarded as among the wealthiest people in the community
where they had settled. From this worthy ancestor there were descended
three Johns in as many consecutive generations, the youngest being the
representative of the family in the Revolutionary period, and was one of
the three commissioners chosen by Waterbury, Connecticut, to furnish sup-
plies to the Continental Army. His son Miles Dunbar, the great-grand-
father of Edward Butler Dunbar, was a young man at the time of the Revo-
lution, serving in the army as a fife-major. Subsequently he removed to
Oblong, New York.

Butler Dunbar, the grandfather of our subject, was a man of great
enterprise and typical pioneer mold whose taste led him to make his home
in new regions. He lived for a time in Springville, Pennsylvania, where Mr.
Dunbar's father was born, later in Connecticut, and finally in Monroe town-
ship, Mahaska county, Iowa, where he spent the remainder of his life
engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was an ardent worker in the cause of
the Congregational church and gained for himself the sobriquet of "Father
Dunbar."

It was Edward Lucius Dunbar, son of the above and father of our sub-
ject, whose birth in Springville, Pennsylvania, has just been mentioned, who
founded the manufacturing business of which Edward Butler Dunbar later
became the head. The elder man was possessed of great ability in the line of
business, a talent which his son inherited, and set himself to supply the
demands of his times. It was the day of the hoop skirt and crinoline, and

CP

(^dMT/iul {M, ^.4Wki^

(gPtoatP 'Butler Duntiat 19

Mr. Dunbar Sr., in partnership with the late Wallace Barnes, established a
factory for the manufacture of the light steel frames used in those wonderful
creations of fashion. He also manufactured watch and clock springs and
clock trimmings, the former plant being situated in New York City, the
latter in Bristol, Connecticut, where he had made his home. The manufac-
ture of the watch and clock springs was on a much smaller scale than the
fashion requirements, but in is nature was a much more stable business. He
was a man of great public spirit and gave a great deal to the town of his
adoption, and in 1858 erected the present town hall of Bristol, which on
account of the business in which its donor had made most of his wealth was
dubbed by the people of Bristol, "Crinoline Hall," a name which clung to it
for many years. Mr. Dunbar, Sr., was married to Julia Warner, a native of
Farmington, Connecticut, and a daughter of Joel and Lucinda Warner, of
that place. Children: Winthrop Warner, whose sketch is found elsewhere
in this work. Edward Butler, of whom further; William A.; Mrs. W. W.
Thorpe; Mrs. L. A. Sanford, and Mrs. George W. Mitchell.

Edward Butler Dunbar, the second child and son of Edward Lucius and
Julia (Warner) Dunbar, was born November i, 1842, in Bristol, Hartford
county, Connecticut, and there, with the exception of two short absences,
passed his entire life. He attended the local common schools for the elemen-
tary portion of his education, and later went to Easthampton, Massachu-
setts, where he took a course in the well known Williston Seminary. In the
spring of i860, when he had reached the age of eighteen years, and com-
pleted his course at Williston Seminary, his father sent him to New York
City, there to help the late William F. Tompkins in his duties as manager of
Mr. Dunbar, Sr.'s hoop-skirt factory. There were from fifty to seventy-five
hands employed in the establishment at the time of Mr. Dunbar's arrival,
and a large business was done. He had been engaged in the place about two
years, and had gained a considerable knowledge of the detail of its operation,
when Mr. Tompkins died, and the young man, then only twenty years old,
was suddenly put in charge of the concern. It was a tremendous responsi-
bility for one of his years and experience to undertake, but the young man
did not falter. He quickly seized the reins of management let fall by Mr.
Tompkins, and in a short time proved himself entire master of the situation.
For three years longer he carried on the great business with extraordinary
skill and good judgment, continually adding to the magnitude of the trans-
actions, and then the inevitable happened. Fashion pronounced against
crinoline, and the whole bottom dropped out of the business. The mill was
abandoned and Mr. Dunbar returned to Bristol, after an absence of five
years, to engage in his father's other business, that of manufacturing clock
springs and similar parts of small mechanisms. At the time this business
was conducted on a far smaller scale than the one Mr. Dunbar had received
his training in and just abandoned. There were not more than half a dozen
hands employed, and the processes were of a very primitive character, so
that the capacity of the mill was very limited. With the advent of Mr. Dun-
bar, and the initiation of his active and energetic management, conditions
were rapidly altered. One of his most important alterations was the intro-
duction of modern machinery which quickly revolutionized the industry and

20 (ODtoatD 'Butlet Dunbar

at one stroke gave the plant a capacity of from five to eight thousand clock
springs a day. In an industry such as that in which Mr. Dunbar was
engaged, while the demand for the output is one to be depended upon, yet
the demand changes in character with the development of invention. Not
long after the installation of the mechanisms insisted upon by Mr. Dunbar,
there was nothing short of a revolution in the methods of spring making
which required a complete alteration in the arrangements of manufacturers
to meet the new requirements. This necessity was cheerfully met as has
been all such changes subsequently, with the result that the business has
always been kept in the forefront of the industry and has grown and flour-
ished until it has gained its present great size. To-day the factory has an
output of many millions of small springs yearly. In this great enterprise the
three sons of Edward Lucius Dunbar have all participated. Edward Butler,
Winthrop Warner and William A. Dunbar, under the firm name of Dunbar
Brothers, which is now recognized as one of the most important industrial
concerns in the region. Edward Butler Dunbar was during his life the pres-
ident of the company and in virtue of holding this office became one of the
commanding figures in the industrial and financial world of Connecticut.
As was natural in so dominant a personality, his sphere of influence was
gradually extended and he became identified with many important business
concerns and financial institutions in that part of the State. He was presi-
dent of the Bristol National Bank and a member of its board of directors,
holding the latter position since the foundation of the bank in 1875. He was
also vice-president and director of the Bristol Savings Bank, having been
elected to these offices in 1889. Among the most important functions which
Mr. Dunbar has performed for the business circles of Bristol, is that of presi-
dent of the Bristol Board of Trade, which under his energetic administration
was extremely active in furthering the town's welfare.

Mr. Dunbar's activity was not, however, confined to the operation of
the great business interests which he controlled. On the contrary there was
scarcely any aspect of the life of the community of which he was a member,
that did not find him an active participant. His public spirit was great and
the energy which enabled him to devote himself to the advancement of so
many projects not less so. One of his chief interests was politics and he was
an intelligent observer of the issues agitating the country in his time. A
staunch member of the Democratic party he gave much of his time to work-
ing for the attainment of its aims, and his voice was one of the most influen-
tial in the councils of its local organization. While still a young man his
fellow Democrats recognized his abilities and his qualifications for public
office, and it was not long before he appeared one of the most available men
in the community for political candidacy. He held a number of important
and responsible offices and filled them to the great satisfaction of his fellow-
citizens. Particularly interested in the cause of public education and the
effective training of children, he took a very active part in the advancement
of the same in Bristol, and from the founding of the new High School held
the ofiice of chairman of its committee, regarding it with pride as one of the
best schools in the State. For a number of years he was a member of the
Board of School Visitors, and for more than a quarter of a century was a

(ZBDtoarD 'Butler Dunbar 21

member of the District Committee of the South Side School. In the year
1869 he was elected to the State Assembly to represent Bristol, and again
to the same office in 1881. In the year 1885 he was elected State Senator,
and again in 1887, serving thus for two consecutive terms or until 1889.
While a member of this body Mr. Dunbar was very active in the interests of
his constituents and exercised a great influence in passing some very import-
ant measures for the benefit of workingmen, including the weekly payment
act, for which and for the child labor law, he made many effective and elo-
quent speeches. In the year 1890 his name was mentioned as the most desir-
able candidate for Congress, but Mr. Dunbar declined to consider any such
nomination. For twenty-six years he was the registrar of elections for the
First District, and for over twenty years president of the Board of Fire
Commissioners of Bristol. In the latter capacity he has done valuable work
for the town, having increased and modernized the equipment to keep pace
with the advance of modern invention and the growth of the town. It had
been his father years before who first induced the town to purchase a fire
engine of the old hand type, and before Mr. Dunbar's retirement, this had
been replaced by two of the most modern engines driven by steam. In con-
nection with his interest in education, he busied himself actively for the
establishment of a public library, and when through his efforts and those of
others who allied themselves with him in the matter, the Free Public
Library, became an accomplished fact, Mr. Dunbar was appointed president
of the institution, and held the oflice until the time of his death. To all these
manifold activities which seem more than a sufficient task for any man, Mr.
Dunbar added another work which he no less ardently strove for, his work
in the advancement of the moral regeneration of the town and the cause of
the church. He was a life long member of the Congregational church and
for the last seven years of his life served as deacon. He was also active in
the Young Men's Christian Association in Bristol, and was president
between 1886 and 1890, during which time he spared no effort to advance the
organization. He was a member of the Reliance Council, No. 753, Royal
Arcanum.

Edward Butler Dunbar was married, December 23, 1875, to Alice Gid-
dings, born July 8, 1854, a daughter of Watson Giddings, the well known
carriage-maker of Bristol. To Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar were born three chil-
dren, as follows: i. Mamie Eva, born December 17, 1877, died January 18,
1881. 2. Marguerite Louise, born June 28, 1880, educated in the Bristol
public schools, with which her father was so closely connected, and in the
two private seminaries for young ladies, Hayden Hall, Windsor, Connecti-
cut, and the Gardner School, New York City; she married, June 22, 1904,
Rev. Charles Shepard, D. D.. professor of Hebrew in the General Theological
Seminary of New York; three daughters: Katharine, Alice Emma and Mar-
guerite Dunbar. 3. Edward Giddings, born May 20, 1889, who is now presi-
dent of the Dunbar Brothers Company. Mrs. Dunbar and her son make
their home in the beautiful dwelling remodelled by Mr. Dunbar. The orig-
inal house was an old one built by Chauncey Jerome, the well-known clock-
maker of Bristol, and was bought and converted into a most charming resi-
dence by Mr. Dunbar, in which are combined the beauties of the older archi-
tecture and the conveniences of modern improvements.

3o|)n H. Sessions

[OHN HENRY SESSIONS, whose death on April 2, 1902. at
Bristol, Connecticut, deprived that community of one of its
foremost business men and most public-spirited citizens,
belonged to an old New England family, which had its
origin in Wantage. Berkshire, England. Inquiries insti-
tuted by the family in America in 1889 at that place resulted
in the discovery that the name had entirely disappeared from
the county, and, indeed, that there was but one family of Sessions to be
found in England. This was resident in Gloucestershire, the county adja-
cent to Berkshire, and there was little doubt of the common origin of the
two lines. The English Sessions were people of prominence in the commu-
nity, J. Sessions, the head of the family, being in 1889 the mayor of the city
of Gloucester, though at the time eighty years of age. The first to bear the
name in this country, so far as can be traced, was Alexander Sessions, Sesh-
ins or Sutchins, as the name was variously spelled. He seems to have been
born about 1645, as in a deposition made in 1669, he states his age as twenty-
four years. The place of his birth is not known, however, but the same
deposition proves him to have been a resident of Andover, Massachusetts,
at the time it was made, and there is a record of his having been admitted
as a freeman of that town in 1677. From his time down to the present the
Sessions held a prominent place in the community and maintained the repu-
tation for worth and integrity bequeathed them by their ancestors. The
seventh generation from the original Alexander Sessions was represented by
John Humphrey Sessions, one of the most distinguished members of his
family and the father of John Henry Sessions, who forms the subject of this
sketch. The elder Mr. Sessions was born in Burlington, Connecticut, but
while still a mere youth came to Bristol, with the industrial development of
which his name is most closely identified. His business, after the days of his
apprenticeship, was for a time the operation of a turning mill at Polkville, a
suburb of Bristol, but he later (1870) took over the business of trunk hard-
ware manufacture, left by the death of his brother. Albert J. Sessions, and
established the large and successful house, which later came to be known
as J. H. Sessions & Son. Besides this large industrial enterprise Mr. Ses-
sions, Sr., was identified with well nigh every important movement which
took place in Bristol for the community's advancement. He was one of the
prime movers in the introduction into the town of many of the public utili-
ties, including the water supply, the electric lighting plant and the first
street railway, which came to be known as the Bristol and Plainville Tram-
way Line.

He was married to Emily Bunnell, also of Burlington, Connecticut, and
to them were born three children, as follows: John Henry, the subject of
this sketch; Carrie Emily, born December 15, 1854; and William Edwin,
born February 18, 1857, and now president of the great Sessions Foundry
Company at Bristol.

3fof)n !^. Sessions 23

John Henry Sessions, the eldest child of John Humphrey and Emily
(Bunnell) Sessions, was born February 26, 1849, in Polkville, Connecticut,
while his father was engaged in carrying on his wood turning business in
that place. He passed the first twenty years of his life in his native town and
there received a liberal education in the excellent public schools of the neigh-
boring place, Bristol. In the year 1869 the whole family removed to the
center of Bristol, and four years later, Mr. Sessions was taken into partner-
ship by his father in the latter's great trunk hardware business, the firm
becoming J. H. Sessions & Son. After his father's death in 1899, Mr. Ses-
sions became the head of the great business which flourished greatly under
his able management. He shortly after admitted his son, Albert Leslie Ses-
sions, into the firm which retained its name of J. H. Sessions & Son. During
the presidency of Mr. Sessions, and later under that of his son, the business
has taken its place as one of the most important of the great industries of
Bristol. Mr. Sessions, as the head of the firm of J. H. Sessions & Son. was a
conspicuous figure in the industrial and financial world of Bristol, and his
business capacity still further enlarged his sphere of influence, and asso-
ciated him with many important business concerns in that region. The
Bristol Water Company, which was organized largely as the result of his
father's efforts, on the death of its founder, elected Mr. Sessions president in
the elder man's place, an ofiice which he was admirably fitted to fill, having
been intimately connected with the affairs of the company from its inception,
and served continuously on its board of directors from the first. Another of
his father's enterprises with which he was connected was the Bristol
National Bank. This institution which has played so important a part in the
financial life of Bristol, was founded in 1875 ^y ^ group of men of which
Mr. Sessions, Sr., was one, and which chose him to head the new concern as
president. After his death Mr. John Henry Sessions was elected vice-presi-
dent, an office which he held until death. He was one of the incorporators
of the Bristol Press Publishing Company. He was also a director of the
E. N. Welch Manufacturing Company, of Forestville, Connecticut, after its
reorganization. This concern was again reorganized after Mr. Sessions'
death and became the Sessions Clock Company under the presidency of his
brother, William Edwin Sessions.

While Mr. Sessions naturally found much of his time taken up with his
manifold business interests, he was never at a loss for opportunity to aid in
every movement for the advantage of the community. He was deeply inter-
ested in all that concerned the welfare of his fellow citizens, and interested
in the conduct of public afi^airs. He was a member of the Republican party,
and worked heartily for the policies which that party has always stood for,
but he never took an active part in politics as that phrase is understood, and
his efforts were purely in the capacity of a private citizen. Though he con-
sistently refused to be nominated for any elective office, a role for which his
position in the community and personal popularity would have well fitted
him, he did accept his appointment, in 1881, as a member of the Board of
Fire Commissioners of Bristol, and held that office until his death, and from
1883 he was the secretary of the board.

Mr. Sessions was an ardent member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

24 3lot)n 1^. ^cs0ions

and one who devoted much energy to the work of his congregation, and sup-
ported in a material way the many philanthropies and benevolences in con-
nection therewith. He was a prominent member of the Masonic order. The
personal character of Mr. Sessions was such as to command respect and
admiration from all his associates and a warm and genuine affection on the
part of his personal friends. Charitable and tolerant in his judgments of
other men he was unbending towards himself, and followed out the strictest
code of morals and honor. He was one who, not content with a religion of
profession, infused his beliefs into the daily conduct of his life in all its rela-
tions. Not a little did this appear in the ready charity with which he sought
to relieve all want that came under his notice and assist worthy effort to
bear its proper fruit. But though thus generous he shunned ostentation
instinctively, and from pure native modesty obeyed the precept to "let not
the left hand know what the right doeth." His loss was felt keenly not
merely by his immediate family and the large circle of his personal friends,
which his winning traits of character had drawn about him, but by all his
associates, however casual, and, indeed, by the community at large.

Mr. Sessions was married. May 19, 1869, to Maria Francena Woodford,
a native of West Avon, Connecticut, where she was born September 8, 1848.
a daughter of Ephraim Woodford, of that place. To them was born one son,
Albert Leslie Sessions, January 5, 1872, the present head of the business of
J. H. Sessions & Son. Three years after Mr. Sessions' death the company
was incorporated under the same name with Albert L. Sessions president,
treasurer and general manager, and with himself, his mother and his wife
stockholders and incorporators. Albert L. Sessions was married, February
7, 1894, to Leila Belle Beach, a daughter of Hon. Henry L. Beach, of Bristol.
They have been the parents of five children, as follows: Paul Beach, born
November 19, 1895; Ruth Juliette, born May 14, 1897; John Henry, born
July 12, 1898; and Judith H. and Janet M., twins, born May 21, 1901.

Utiles 3ut)Son

;TILES JUDSON, in whose untimely death on October 25,
1914, Fairfield county, Connecticut, lost one of its foremost
citizens and the State bar one of its most distinguished mem-
bers, was a member of one of the oldest families in the State,
which from the earliest colonial times has taken a conspic-
uous part in the afifairs of the community. From the immi-
grant ancestor, William Judson, who came to this country
as early as 1634, down to the distinguished lawyer, orator and legislator who
forms the subject of this sketch, the representatives of the Judson stock have
been men of action, men whose voices have had a share in moulding affairs
in the community in which they have for so many generations made their
home. The first William Judson was a stalwart Yorkshireman, born in that
county, in "Merry England," sometime near the last of the sixteenth cen-
tury. He came with his son, Joseph Judson, then a lad of fifteen years, to
the "New World" and settled for a time in Concord, Massachusetts. Four
years later, in 1638, his spirit of pioneering yet unsatisfied, he made his way
into the western part of Connecticut, then but sparsely populated, and set-
tled on the site of the present town of Stratford. His was the first house
built in the neighborhood, and remained the only one there for a full year,
so that to the Judsons belongs the distinction of being without doubt the
first settlers of Stratford and the founders of the town. To them also
belongs the distinction of having made it unbrokenly their home from those
early days to the present. During the Revolutionary period the representa-
tive of the family was one Daniel Judson, a prominent man in his com-
munity and one who served for many years in the Connecticut Legislature.
He was too elderly for active service in the Continental Army, but a son dis-
tinguished himself not a little therein. This son was Stiles Judson, who
thus initiated a name which, including his own, has been borne by four con-
secutive generations of father and son.

The father of our subject, the third Stiles Judson, was a man of parts,
who was engaged all his life in those two strenuous occupations, sailing and
farming. During his young manhood he was before the mast in the ships of
the East India trade, and at one time "rounded the Horn," on the way to
California with a number of others who had been seized with the gold fever
of "forty-nine." He later returned to his native town and there settled down
to farming, represented the district in the State Assembly, and held many of
the town offices. He was married to Caroline Peck, a daughter of Samuel
Peck, and Stiles Judson, Jr., was the only son among four daughters.

Stiles Judson was born February 13, 1862, in Stratford, and in that place
made his home during his entire life, although his legal career is largely
associated with the city of Bridgeport, where his firm had its offices. He
received an excellent education, attending as a lad the fine schools of his
native place, both public and private. Completing at these institutions the
requisite preparation, he matriculated at Yale University in 1883, and enter-

26 Utiles 31uDson

ing the law school, there distingTjished himself highly in his studies. He
was eminently fitted for the profession of the law, possessing an impressive
presence and an engaging and powerful personality in addition to the mental
qualifications of a mind capable of long and profound study and thought and
the most rapid decision in emergency. This somewhat rare union began to
make itself felt from the outset of his career, even as a student, and did not
fail to draw the expectant regard of his professors and instructors to the
young man. He was graduated with the class of 1885 with the degree of
LL. B., the honor member of his class. He was admitted to the Connecticut
bar the same year and at once entered the law office of Townsend &
Watrous, in New Haven. He remained with this firm only about a year and
in September of 1886, removed to Bridgeport, where he formed a partnership
with Charles Stuart Canfield, the firm being known as Canfield & Judson,
a connection which continued up to the time of Mr. Judson's death, with
the single modification that in the year 1907 Judge John S. Pullman was
admitted to the firm which thereupon became Canfield, Judson & Pullman,
and has grown to be one of the best known in Connecticut. Mr. Judson
quickly made a reputation for himself as one of the ablest lawyers in the
region, especially in court, where his forensic ability and able grasp of his sub-
ject made him a most powerful ally and dangerous opponent. His success
with the jury was phenomenal and it was not long before he had developed a
very large practice and was handling some of the largest and most import-
ant cases in the State. Indeed, it was even before his arrival in Bridgeport,
while he was yet a clerk in the office of Townsend & Watrous, in New
Haven, that he first attracted attention to himself by his unusual powers.
It was about the same time also that he began his political activity, in which
connection, even more than in his professional work, his fame has grown. It
was not long before he became one of the most popular political speakers
thereabouts, and the Republican local organization began to look upon him
as a coming power and a possible candidate for office. And assuredly Mr.
Judson was a coming power, although, alas for hopes of those in control of
the party organization, his personality was too strong and definite to fit into
the ordinary partisan moulds of conventional form. Mr. Judson was a
staunch Republican, a believer in the principles and many of the policies of
his party, but he was essentially a reformer, and when he saw what he con-
sidered abuses he did not stop to discover whether political friend or foe was
responsible for them, he simply and forcibly pointed them out and demanded
their removal. In the year 1891, Stratford, in which he had always made his
home and which began to be proud of this rising young lawyer, elected him
to the General Assembly of the State. It was during his first term in that
body that the famous "deadlock" session occurred, in which he took a most
notable part. His constituents were highly gratified at the position he took
and the energy with which he pushed his views in the Assembly and
returned him thereto in 1895, when he was appointed chairman of the judi-
ciary committee. In the meantime, however, in 1892, he was the party can-
didate for Secretary of State, for which he was defeated, however, together
with the whole State ticket, after a most creditable campaign. In 1905 Mr.
Judson was elected State Senator from the twenty-fifth senatorial district, in

^tflcg 3luDgon 27

which his home town is situated, and promptly assumed a leading role as
champion of reform legislature in the Senate. He was returned in 1907 and
during the ensuing session he was president pro tempore of the body.
During both these terms he was chairman of the senate judiciary committee.
Upon the death of Samuel Fessenden, State's attorney for Fairfield county,
Mr. Judson was appointed to fill the unexpired term. This was in 1908
and he was later elected to the same oflke on the splendid showing of his
record. He continued to hold this ofifice until March 30, 1914, when on his
own request as a result of failing health, he was removed by order of Judge
Joseph P. Tuttle. In 1910 Mr. Judson was renominated Senator by the
Republicans, and the Democratic Convention, meeting shortly afterward,
endorsed his candidacy, an honor never before received by a candidate from
that district. The following election he was again the choice of his party,
and was triumphantly returned after one of the most bitter campaigns ever
waged in that region. His opponent was Judge Elmore S. Banks, of Fair-
field, Connecticut, which, strangely enough was situated in the same sena-
torial district, and the question at issue was the Public Utilities Bill, of
which he was the champion. After his election he returned to the Senate to
continue his effective advocacy of the bill there, while Judge Banks was
sent to the House, to continue his opposition. The final victory was with
the advocates of the bill, which was passed at that session, largely because
of the masterly efiforts of Mr. Judson in its behalf. The great amount of
labor, the intensity of his efiforts in its cause are by some regarded as a con-
tributory cause of the loss of health which he suffered thereafter, and which
finally resulted in his death. In 1913 he found the pressure of business inci-
dent to his office as State's Attorney so great that he was obliged to forego
any legislative activity, and in 1914. as already mentioned, he resigned that
office.

Mr. Judson was a very conspicuous figure in the social world, and a
member of several important clubs and organizations in Stratford and
Bridgeport. He was an active Mason, being a member of St. John's Lodge,
Free and Accepted Masons, of Bridgeport ; Hamilton Commandery, Knights
Templar, of Bridgeport; and of the Algonquin and Brooklawn clubs of the
same city. He was also a member of Company K, Fourth Regiment Con-
necticut National Guard, for ten years, at the end of which period he was
captain of his company.

Mr. Judson was married, December 5, 1889, to Minnie L. Miles, of Mil-
ford, Connecticut, the daughter of George Washington Miles, a well-known
manufacturer of that place. Mrs. Judson, who graduated from the Yale
University Art School, devotes much of her time at present to her painting.
She possesses a great deal of talent in this direction, and is a woman of great
general culture and unusual social charm.

In summing up the total of Stiles Judson's work, and the effect of his
life and efforts upon the community, it must be borne in mind that at heart
he was a reformer, and that as such, the results of his work are by no means
to be measured by the formal victories that he won. It is the fate of reformers
generally that they often win more in their defeats than their victories, and
so it was in a measure in the case of Mr. Judson. Some of his bitterest con-

28 %tilcs 3luDson

flicts were with the "machine" in his own party. He was a consistent oppo-
nent of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company in all its
political activities, and during the last year of his State's Attorneyship
opposed it with great vigor and prosecuted some of its officials. With this
sinister political force and with the element in the party which represented
its wishes, he was in continual warfare, as well as with every other factor in
the party which seemed to him to interfere with the will of the people, and
as might be expected was often defeated. He was engaged in an effort to
destroy the power of Allan W. Paige in Fairfield county ; he championed the
cause of Bulkeley for United States Senator in his fight with Fessenden, and
strove mightily, though ineffectively, to prevent the Republican nomination
for Governor of the State going to Judge John P. Studley. Had he been
content to travel the easy road, he would doubtless have reached greater
heights politically than he did, but his services to his county and State and
to his party were unquestionably much the greater in that he chose to oppose
the intrenched forces of privilege, even when such opposition meant defeat.
To his object of fighting well the people's battle, he brought his great
powers, his capacity for long and hard work, his brilliant and active mind
and his oratory, which all agreed were of the highest type. Thus equipped
he accomplished against his powerful opponent much that seemed well
nigh impossible, and often turned what was apparently inevitable defeat into
brilliant victory. It will be appropriate to close this sketch with an excerpt
from an editorial which appeared in the "Bridgeport Telegram" on the occa-
sion of his death. Says the "Telegram :"

The name of Stiles Judson will be incorporated into the traditions of the Connecticut
bar. It is doubtful if a more brilliant attorney ever pleaded a case before a Connecticut
judicial tribune. To an enormous capacity for deep research, Attorney Judson added an
ability for rapid and brilliant thinking "on his feet," — a very unusual combination. As a
result he was not only grounded in the law to an extraordinary degree, but he followed
each trend and turn of a case with the most brilliant (and to his opponent's disconcert-
ing) ability for taking prompt and generally crushing advantage of any opening that
offered. When, in addition to these qualifications as a trial attorney, it is remembered
that he was an orator of rare ability, the possessor of a keen and incisive wit, and
endowed with a commanding presence, his extraordinary power becomes apparent.
These qualities led the judges of the superior court to appoint him State's Attorney, and
he honored the ofifice. At his best, he was truly great ; not alone because of his ability,
but because he never knowingly used his great powers to take an unfair advantage of a
weaker opponent, and his first aim always as State's Attorney, was not to secure a con-
viction but to obtain justice.

Here it is a pleasure to record what was known to but few, — that in his private prac-
tice Attorney Judson was a friend of the poor and needy ; that in many a case where an
unfortunate person was struggling for justice, he took the case, fought it to a brilliant
conclusion, and then refused to accept a fee, or at least, nothing commensurate with the
extent and brilliancy of his services. Had he taken another course he would probably
have been a very rich man.

litngsburp jFamtlp

FREDERICK JOHN KINGSBURY, whose death on Septem-
ber 30, 1910, at the age of eighty-seven years, deprived the
city of Waterbury, Connecticut, of one of its best known and
most distinguished citizens, was a member of a very ancient
English family, the name of Kingsbury or Kyngesbury, as
it was originally spelled, being frequently met with in the
fifteenth century and even that preceding it. As early as
1300, indeed, we hear of one Gilbert de Kingsbury, a churchman of Kings-
bury, in Warwickshire, with which place the name is very probably asso-
ciated in its origin. There were also Kingsburys to be found in Suffolk and
other counties in that part of England a little later. The relationship of the
various bearers of the name at that time is not of course entirely obtainable,
but a family becomes traceable in Suffolk in the early part of the sixteenth
century, and from the time of John Kyngesbury of Great Cornard, Suffolk-
shire, who died on August 10, 1539, the line is continuous and unbroken
down to the present day. It was about one hundred years after this date
that Henry Kingsbury of the sixth generation from the John mentioned
above, came to this country from Assington, Suffolkshire, with John Win-
throp, and in 1638 is recorded as one of the founders of Ipswich, Massachu-
setts, in that year. The Kingsburys were from their advent here active
members of the community, and quickly became prominent in general
affairs, religious, civil and military, many of them distinguishing themselves
greatly in the services they performed for their fellow colonists. The family
was represented during the Revolution by Judge John Kingsbury, who at
the breaking out of the struggle was a student in Yale College. He served
his country on the sea, going on two privateering voyages with his brother
Jacob. He was a very distinguished man in his time and region. He mar-
ried Marcia Bronson, a member of another prominent family of Waterbury,
and was the father of Charles Denison, of whom further.

Charles Denison Kingsbury, the eldest son of Judge John and Marcia
(Bronson) Kingsbury, was born December 7, 1795, in Waterbury, in which
place he passed practically his entire life. The record of his early life is
most intimately associated with the good old times in Waterbury, and his
memory was stocked up to the time of his death with a great mass of facts
of inestimable value and interest to the historian and antiquarian. He first
attended the local schools and there received the elementary portion of his
education under some of the well known early teachers of Waterbury,
among which may be mentioned Miss Hotchkiss, a sister of Deacon Elijah
Hotchkiss, and the Rev. Virgil H. Barber. Later he went away from home
to attend the Rev. Daniel Parker's school at Ellsworth, in Sharon. Among
his schoolfellows were Henry G. Ludlow, the well-known New York clergy-
man, and Charles A. Goodyear, the inventor.

In 1812 Mr. Kingsbury, then seventeen years of age, began his success-
ful mercantile career, in the humble capacity of clerk for the firm of Benedict

30 IBifnffStJUtpiFamilp

& Burton in the old store on the corner of Exchange Place and Harrison
Alley. Here he remained for upwards of two years, when he was seized
with a serious malady of the lungs, which for a time threatened to end his
life. He finally recovered, however, but was obliged to stop work for a time.
For a time he studied medicine under the direction of Dr. Edward Field, his
friends giving him the name of doctor, which clung to him during the
remainder of his life. In the latter part of 1814 he once more began active
work, on this occasion securing a position with the firm of Burton & Leav-
enworth. His alert mind quickly won the favorable regard of his employers,
and the following winter, the junior member of the firm, Mr. Leavenworth,
took him with him on a trip to the South, made for the purpose of introduc-
ing their clocks in the southern markets. The family still preserve a portion
of the journal kept by him of his travels. Returning from the South he spent
considerable time in settling up the business aflfairs of Burton & Leaven-
worth, the partners of which were dissolving the firm. This work com-
pleted, he returned once more to the South, making arrangements with the
publishing house of Mitchell, Ames & White, of Philadelphia, to represent
them as agent in Virginia. He spent about a year in that State, principally
in Richmond and vicinity, selling law and medical books, and works of the
class of Jefferson's "Notes" and Wirt's "Life of Patrick Henry." Mr. Kings-
bury always referred to this year as a most delightful and profitable experi-
ence, as it brought him into contact with the cultured people of the section
often on the friendliest and most agreeable terms. He visited the legal and
medical men of the neighborhood and often spent a number of days with
them at their homes. He made one more stay in the South after this, spend-
ing the winter of 1820-21 in Philadelphia as the agent of the firm of Lewis,
Grilley & Lewis, manufacturers of buttons in Naugatuck.

Mr. Kingsbury had been eminently successful in his various enterprises,
and by this time had saved sufficiently to enable him to embark upon an
enterprise of his own. In the spring of 1821 he leased in his native city
of Waterbury the store in which he had already been employed as a clerk,
and there established a general mercantile business. He eventually pur-
chased the property, and carried on his enterprise there for nearly twenty
years. He had but one rival in the same business in Waterbury, the old
establishment of Leavenworth, Hayden & Scovill, and from the first his
venture prospered well. The drug store of Dr. Johnson was closed about
that time, and Mr. Kingsbury added drugs to his already wide line of
stock. As his business increased and his resources grew larger, Mr.
Kingsbury engaged in a number of industrial operations, in all of which
he was successful. He manufactured shoes and harnesses, and was the
owner of a factory situated on the Mad river, where he manufactured
pearl buttons. This was on the site now occupied by the large plant of
the American Mills Company. In 1827 Mr. Kingsbury took into partner-
ship with him Mr. William Brown, a gentleman who had been his clerk, and
who later married his employer's sister. Three years later Mr. Brown left
Waterbury and went to South Carolina, and Mr. Kingsbury took Dr. Fred-
erick Leavenworth into the business to occupy the place left vacant by Mr.
Brown. The partners now operated separate stores, Dr. Leavenworth

(2^,-,;^::^^ 'c/^J^^^^^ ^/^^

l^inffSburpjTamnp 31

taking charge of the drug and grocery departments, and Mr. Kingsbury of
the general dry goods. In 1835 the two branches were consolidated beneath
the same roof.

Mr. Kingsbury's health, never the most robust, began to fail in the year
183S. and he gradually withdrew entirely from his mercantile and industrial
interests, and retired to the rural estate left him by his father. Both that
gentleman and his grandfather had been large property holders in the
neighborhood, and it now became the purpose of Mr. Kingsbury to operate
with some degree of adequacy this large tract by cultivating it and putting
it to farm uses. He developed a great interest in agriculture, and for
several years carried on extensive farming operations, which under his skill-
ful direction were a great success. The growth of the city was tending in the
direction of his property, so that after some years he began to build houses
and divide his property into lots, which he disposed of to great advantage.
He was an authority on the matter of old property divisions and ownerships,
and his mind was indeed a repository of most of the old lore of Waterbury.
He held a number of public offices in the city, always to the great satisfaction
of his fellow townsmen, although he did not actively enter politics. For
years he was affiliated with the First Congregational Church, and at his
death was the oldest member. The first four ministers of this church were
the ancestors of his children. Despite his rather delicate health, he lived
to the venerable age of ninety-five years, retaining his faculties and strength
to a wonderful degree. His carriage was upright and firm, and he continued
to keep his own accounts to within five days of his death. This occurred on
January 16, 1890, in his residence on North Main street, which had been built
by his great-great-grandfather, Thomas Bronson, in 1760, and occupied by
himself for nearly sixty years.

Mr. Kingsbury married Eliza Leavenworth, of Waterbury, a member
of the distinguished Leavenworth family of that city and New Haven, and a
daughter of his partner, Dr. Frederick Leavenworth and Fanny (Johnson)
Leavenworth, his wife. To Mr. and Mrs. Kingsbury were born two chil-
dren, the elder of whom was Frederick John, of whom further.

Frederick John Kingsbury, the elder of the two children of Charles
Denison and Eliza (Leavenworth) Kingsbury, was born January i, 1823, in
Waterbury, and has there made his home during his entire life. The fond-
ness for intellectual pursuits which marked his character during his life,
made its appearance early in his childhood, and was doubtless fostered by
the circtimstances which surrounded him and the careful training which he
received at his mother's own hand as a child. He was not a robust boy, and
his mother, who took much interest in botany and chemistry, constituted
herself his teacher and took his training into her own hands for a number of
years, during which the influence of her charming and beauty-loving person-
ality had a great eflfect in moulding the lad's into a similar form. She read
to him fairy tales and poetry along with his other lessons, subjects which the
average lad reared in a rural district had but little opportunity for in those
days. He spent his time on his father's large farm and as a child will, used
to play at work with the hands, until, growing older, jest was gradually
changed to earnest, and by the time he had recovered his health sufificiently

S2 lSings6iirpjFamiIp

and was of an age to leave home to complete his education, he was possessed
of a good practical knowledge of farming. After studying for some years
under the gentle discipline of his mother, it was thought wise to send him
from home to a school where he would rub with other boys and learn a little
of life, as well as prepare himself for college. At this juncture, a maternal
uncle, the Rev. Abner J. Leavenworth, invited the lad to visit him in Vir-
ginia, an invitation which was accepted, the excellent clergyman undertak-
ing to superintend his nephew's studies personally. Here in a very congenial
atmosphere of books and learning, Mr. Kingsbury spent the better part of
eighteen months. On his return to the North, he was sent to the Waterbury
Academy, and there prepared himself for college and the professional course
which he proposed taking. The Rev. Mr. Seth Fuller was principal of the
Waterbury Academy at that time, a man of strong personality and much
erudition, who influenced not a little the forming mind of his talented pupil.
After completing his studies here, he matriculated at Yale College and
there, after distinguishing himself and drawing upon himself the favorable
regard of his professors and instructors, he was graduated with the class of
1846. He had long before determined to take up the law as a profession,
and with this purpose in view he studied the subject in the Yale Law .School.
Here he came in contact with a number of interesting legal minds, among
which were Chief Justice William L. Storrs and Isaac H. Townsend. He
then entered the ofiice of the Hon. Thomas C. Perkins, of Hartford, and
later that of the Hon. Charles G. Loring, of Boston, to complete his reading
of law. In 1848, two years after his graduation from Yale, he was admitted
to the Connecticut bar at Boston, and the following year opened a law office
in his native city. He was successful from the start, and would doubtless
have made a name for himself in his profession, had it not been for a distract-
ing cause which eventually led him into an entirely different career. It was
in the year 1850, when he had been engaged in the practice but a twelve-
month, that Mr. Kingsbury had his attention directed to the subject of bank-
ing in such a manner as to induce him to engage in that business. He did
not at once give up his legal practice, following both occupations for three
years. He then finally closed his law office and devoted his entire attention
to banking, in which connection and as a man of scholarly attainments, he
was best known in Waterbury. His success as a lawyer had been such as to
attract general attention, and the recognition of his ability and integrity was
such that his fellow citizens elected him to represent them in the Connecticut
State Legislature. This was in the year 1850, but two years after his admis-
sion to the bar, and it was during the term of his service in that body that his
attention became directed to the subject of banks and banking, and the plan
of establishing a savings bank took shape in his mind. He procured a char-
ter for the Waterbury Savings Bank, and his plan was realized. Mr. Kings-
bury was himself made treasurer of the institution and managed its affairs
until his death. After finally giving up the law, he devoted his entire atten-
tion to banking problems and the direction of the Waterbury Savings Bank,
which owed its existence so largely to his efforts. In the same year that he
withdrew from legal practice, Mr. Kingsbury and Mr. Abram Ives in asso-
ciation founded the Citizens' Bank of Waterbury, and the former was

chosen president. This was in 1853, and he held the post until his death, his
capable and just management contributing in a large measure to the success
of the institution. Mr. Kingsbury's position in the financial and business
circles grew rapidly to one of importance, and in the year 1858 he was
elected to the directorate of the Scovill Manufacturing Company. He took
such interest in the affairs of the company and gave so much of his attention
thereto, that in 1862 his fellow directors determined to put him on the active
official staff and elected him secretary. Two years later he was made treas-
urer, and in 1868 he succeeded S. W. Hall as president. For thirty-two years
he held that oftice and at length in 1900 refused reelection, taking instead the
office of vice-president, which enabled him to relax somewhat his active
management of affairs. Nor was this the only important business concern,
with which he was officially connected. As time went on he became one of
the most prominent figures in the business world thereabouts, and was asso-
ciated with railroad and steamboat companies and other concerns.

It has already been stated that Mr. Kingsbury served his fellow towns-
men as representative in the State Legislature. This he did on a number of
occasions. The first was in 1850, at the time his attention was directed to
banking. Later in 1858, and in 1865 he was again a member of that body and
was appointed chairman of the banking committee, a position for which his
experience amply qualified him. During the latter session he was also a
member of the committee on the revision of the statutes of Connecticut. At
one time Mr. Kingsbury was urged by the Republican party organization
in the State to accept the candidacy for Governor of Connecticut, an offer
which his prominence in many directions and his personal popularity ren-
dered most appropriate. He was, however, unable to accept it owing to the
many interests for which responsibility was already resting upon him, and
which he could not shift and would not neglect. He allowed his name to be
used as candidate for Lieutenant-Governor, however. The Republican ticket
was that year defeated so that it was unnecessary for Mr. Kingsbury to
change any of his private obligations for public ones. In political belief Mr.
Kingsbury was a staunch supporter of the principles and the policies of the
Republican party, but was far too independent in thought and action to
allow partisan considerations to affect his conduct, either as a voter or a
legislator.

The list of Mr. Kingsbury's achievements is by no means exhausted in
recounting those in the business and political worlds. His success in the
realm of scholarship was quite as conspicuous, and perhaps even dearer to
his heart, in view of his strong mental tendency in that direction. Mr.
Kingsbury's work as a business man, as a man of affairs was fine, but he may
be said to have pursued his literary work con amore. His intellectual attain-
ments were exceptional and marked by the greatest versatility. He was an
enthusiast in the cause of general education, and worked hard for its spread
in many ways. He was treasurer of the Bronson Library Fund from its
foundation for over thirty years and by careful investments he greatly
increased the original bequest; was chairman of the book committee and a
member of the board of agents. In 1881 he was elected a member of the
corporation of Yale College, and served on that most honorable body until

34 EingsbiitpjFamilp

1899. In 1893 he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Wil-
Hams College, and six years later the same degree from Yale. He was
appointed in 1876, to represent the State of Connecticut in the national
committee at the centennial exposition in Philadelphia. He was a member
of many literary and scientific clubs and associations, among which were the
American Antiquarian Society, the American Historical Association, the
Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, the New Haven County His-
torical Society, the Society of Colonial Wars and the University and Cen-
tury Clubs. He was also a member of the American Social Science Associa-
tion, a department of knowledge in which he specialized to a considerable
extent during the latter years of his life. He was president of this associa-
tion for a number of years. History and genealogy were subjects which
exercised a strong fascination for him, and he was regarded as an authority
in all matters pertaining to the records of his home locality. He was the
author of an excellent history of Waterbury, and with the collaboration of
Mary Kingsbury Talcott compiled the "Kingsbury Genealogy." Mr. Kings-
bury was a devoted member of the Episcopal church.

Mr. Kingsbury was married, April 29, 1851, to Alathea Ruth Scovill, of
Waterbury, Connecticut, a daughter of William Henry and Eunice Ruth
(Davies) Scovill, of that place. To Mr. and Mrs. Kingsbury five children
were born, as follows: i. William Charles, born in July, 1853, died March
2, 1864. 2. Mary Eunice, born June 9, 1856, married Dr. Charles Steadman
Bull, of New York City, and became the mother of three children: Fred-
erick Kingsbury, Ludlow Seguino and Dorothy. 3. Alice Eliza, born May
4, 1858. 4. Edith Davies, born February 6, i860. 5. Frederick John, Jr..
born July 7, 1863, married Adele Townsend, of Oyster Bay, Long Island, by
whom he has had two children : Ruth, who married Richard Collier Sargent
and has one son, Richard Collier, Jr., and Frederick John; he is now the
president of the Bridgeport Brass Company, of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The death of Mr. Kingsbury was a loss, not merely to his immediate
family and the large circle of personal friends, but to the community at
large, which had, as a whole, benefited by his manifold accomplishments and
activities. He was an unusual man, an unusual personality, and the story of
his life has been woven, as it were into the history of the community of
which it is so essential a part. If one would express briefly the course of
action which guided him to the unique position which he held among his
fellow townsmen, he could not do better than quote his own words of advice
to young men, in which it would seem he summed up his own philosophy
of conduct. He said:

"Be honest in your purpose. Practice truthfulness, courtesy, and the
cultivation of a kindly feeling toward all men. Be industrious and perse-
vering. Neither court nor shun responsibility, but discharge all obligations
to the best of your ability. Do the most honorable thing that oflfers and keep
at it until something comes. Beware of procrastination."

3lof)n ^. «ltUtamson

12041G4

T IS THE progressive, wide-awake men of affairs who make
the real history of a community, State or Nation, and their
influence as a potential factor of the body politic is difficult
to estimate. The examples men furnish of patient purpose
and steadfast integrity strongly illustrate what is in the
power of each to accomplish, and there is always a full
measure of satisfaction in adverting, even in a casual
manner, to their achievements in advancing the interests of their fellowmen
and in giving strength and solidity to the institutions which tell so much for
the prosperity of the community. John H. Williamson, late of Bethel, Con-
necticut, was a man of this caliber. A public-spirited citizen, he was ready
at all times to use his means and influence for the promotion of such public
improvements as were conducive to the comfort and happiness of his fellow-
men, and there was probably not another man in the community so long
honored by his residence who was held in higher esteem, regardless of sects,
politics or professions. He was one of the most unostentatious of men, open-
hearted and candid in manner, always retaining in his demeanor the
simplicity and candor of the oldtime gentleman, and his record stands as an
enduring monument.

John H. Williamson was born in Carnmonie, a town in the northern
part of Ireland, December 27, 1851, son of James and Agnes Williamson,
members of a Scotch colony which had settled there. He received his early
education in a private school in Belfast. He came to the United States as a
boy and completed his education at Cooper Institute, New York, where he
received the degree of mechanical engineer. Shortly after his graduation
and at the age of nineteen years he entered business as a contractor and
builder, with offices at the corner of Forty-third street and Broadway, and
he continued in the same line of business for seventeen years and during that
long period of time carried out many private and public contracts, one of
which was the erection of a riding academy on the present site of Pabst
Grand Circle, and the Majestic Theatre at Columbus Circle, New York,
which was notable as containing the longest span wood truss ever built in
the United States. Mr. Williamson was its sole designer as well as builder.
Another of his buildings of interest to his fellow townsmen was the Presby-
terian church in Brewster, and he also constructed several gas plants about
the country, the largest being at Watson, Illinois, and he built several private
yachts, the most notable of which was that of Commodore Brown, of the
New York Yacht Club. While in charge of tearing down a building in con-
nection with a contract for the widening of a street in downtown New York,
the mistake of a foreman resulted in the collapse of the structure, burying
him for twenty hours with the splintered end of a joist through his left
cheek. After discontinuing this business in 18S7 he entered the boiler busi-
ness as consulting engineer with the Hazleton Boiler Company, of New York,
and his business interests in connection with this extended to all parts of

36 3!of)n i^. e^illiamson

the country. While connected with this firm his inventive genius demon-
strated itself, and the five patents taken out by him resulted, on the death
of the firm's president in 1903, in his gaining the ownership and control of
the business, which he conducted until the time of his death under the name
of the Connecticut Construction Supply Company. He was an expert in this
line and as such was called before the Massachusetts Legislature in March,
1908, and his advice was influential in the making of their revised laws
regitlating the construction of steam boilers.

The residence of Mr. Williamson in Bethel covered a period of twenty-
eight years and during that time he was active in the interests of the town,
yet his benefactions were conducted in such an unostentatious manner that his
name was not brought forth prominently in connection therewith. He was
a man of honest and upright character, lofty ideals and aspirations, thus his
advice and opinions were sought and respected, and his political influence
was widely felt. Although brought up in the Presbyterian church he was at
the time of his death a member of the Protestant Episcopal church of Bethel.
He was a staunch Republican in politics, and always took an active interest
in State and local affairs, numbering among his friends the most influential
men in the State. He stood for progress and the advancement of the people
and for what was honest and right. He served as a member of the Board of
Trade, as justice of the peace and as grand juror. His fraternal affiliation
was with Eureka Lodge, No. 83, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he had
been a member for many years.

Mr. Williamson married, January 27, i88c, Julia Reid, daughter of
Hugh and Mary (Parsons) Reid, the ceremony being performed in Bethel.
Children: Agnes Belle, a graduate of the New Haven Normal School ; John
Kennedy, a mining engineer, graduate of Cornell University, class of 1906,
now superintendent for the Turner Building Company, of New York ;
Elizabeth, a graduate of the Danbury Normal School, wife of Harry Brown-
low, of Danbury, Connecticut; Harry Hugh, graduate of Cornell Univer-
sity, class of 191 1 ; Julia Edna and James Reid, pupils in the Bethel public
schools.

Mr. Williamson passed away at his home in Bethel, September 23, 1908.
He lived to good purpose and achieved a degree of success commensurate
with his efiforts. By a straightforward and commendable course he made his
way to a prominent position in the business world, winning the admiration
of the people of his town and earning a reputation as an enterprising, pro-
gressive man of affairs and a broad-minded, charitable and upright citizen,
which the public was not slow to recognize. His was a life of honor and
trust, and no higher eulogy can be passed upon him than to say the simple
truth — that his name had never been coupled with anything disreputable
and that there was never a shadow of a stain upon his reputation for
integrity and unwavering honesty. He was a consistent man in all he under-
took, and his career in all the relations of life was utterly without pretense.

3iof)n i|. jmtartilc. B. B. B.

HE CITY OF Westport, Connecticut, lost one of its leading
citizens and prominent professional men in the death there
on May 24, 191 5, of Dr. John H. McArdle. Dr. McArdle was
not a native of Westport, nor, for that matter, of Connec-
ticut at all, but he had lived in that State since early child-
hood so that he was intimately identified with the life there
and had scarcely any association with any other section,
even the region of his birth, save indirectly. He was born in the city of
Brooklyn, New York, September 2, 1873, so that he was still a young man at
the time of his death with his career but beginning to bear the fruit of his
youthful promise.

He lived in the place of his birth until he had reached the age of eight
years. He then came to Westport to live with his uncle and aunt, Mr. and
Mrs. Michael Clear, of that city, who acted as guardians to him during the
remainder of his childhood and early youth. He received his early and
general education at the excellent public schools of Westport and afterwards
returned temporarily to New York to take a course in dental surgery at the
New York College of Dentistry. Upon graduation from that institution, he
returned at once to Westport, where he shortly established himself in the
practice of his profession. He was successful from the outset and very soon
had built up a large practice which continued to grow steadily until the
time of his retirement. He became, indeed, one of the leading dentists in
that part of the State. It was not alone in his profession, however, that Dr.
McArdle was prominent in the city's affairs, for although a great deal of his
time and attention was taken up with professional work, yet he always
interested himself in every important movement undertaken for the city's
welfare and was identified with not a few of them in a very intimate manner.
He was particularly interested in the question of education and served as
secretary of the school board of Westport for a number of years. Religion
was a matter that played a very important part in the life of Dr. McArdle,
and few men give up so much time and thought or exert so much energy
in its cause as did he. He was a Roman Catholic in faith and a most devout
member of that ancient church. He was directly affiliated with the Church
of the Assumption in Westport during practically the entire term of his life,
and was associated with most of the societies and clubs connected there-
with, as well as materially supporting the various charities of the parish.
He was one of those connected with the founding of the Holy Name Society
in that parish and a charter member as well as serving as its president for
manv years. It was from this church that Dr. McArdle's funeral was finally
held, a ceremony of much pomp and impressiveness, with a high mass of
requiem and many representative bodies gathered in the church, while all
the schools in the city were closed for the day. He was a member of the
State Dental Association and extremely active in working for the interests
of his profession.

38 3foi)n 1^. e^catDIe

On January 20, 1904, Dr. McArdle was united in marriage with Mar-
garet Welch, a daughter of Antoine and Mary Welch. To Dr. and Mrs.
McArdle three children were born during the life of Dr. McArdle and a
fourth shortly after his death. The names of three of the children are:
Helen, Margaret, and Kathryn. This brief sketch cannot be more appro-
priately closed than with the following extract from the local press which
admirably illustrates how important a place was filled by Dr. McArdle.

As a token of respect to the inemor}- of Dr. John H. McArdle, whose funeral was
held this morning, all public schools of town were closed all day, to-day. The services
this morning at 10.30 o'clock were the most impressive seen in Westport for years.
The Church of the Assumption was packed to the doors with the great throng of friends
and relatives who had come to pay their last respects to the man who had lived amongst
them .since early childhood. The Rev. J. J. Mitty, a professor of theology at Dunwoodie
Seminary, New York State, was the celebrant at a solemn high mass of requiem, assisted
by the Rev. John Carroll, a former pastor of the church, acting as deacon ; and the Rev.
James C. O'Brien, of Stamford, as sub-deacon. * * * Acting as master of cere-
monies was the Rev. Father C. J. McCann. of Manchester, who, previous to his ordination
in the priesthood as a young man, had been a companion of the late Dr. McArdle. Seated
in the sanctuary were the Rev. Father J. J. Duggan, pastor of the church ; Rev. T. J.
Finn, Norwalk ; Rev. Father Doyle, of New York, and the Rev. Father Riley, a Holy
Ghost Father of Norwalk. At the close of the mass the Rev. Father Duggan preached
a funeral oration that reached the hearts of the scores of friends seated in the church.

Augustus ^abin Cl)ase

UGUSTUS SABIN CHASE, who for nearly half a century
was closely and potently associated in active life with the
industrial and civic development of Waterbury, was born
in Pomfret, Connecticut, August 15, 1828. He was one
of three children of Captain Seth and Eliza Hempstead
(Dodge) Chase, and their only son. He was descended from
the earliest Puritan settlers of New England, and in him
survived many of their sterling qualities.

Mr. Chase's boyhood was spent on his father's farm, which had also
belonged to his grandfather, and is still owned by the family. At sixteen he
was a student at Woodstock Academy, and two years later he took charge of
a country school in Brooklyn, Connecticut. Next he moved to Killingly, and
went to work as a clerk in a store belonging to the Danielson Manufacturing
Company. When Mr. Chase was twenty-two, an old Windham county resi-
dent. Dyer Ames, Jr., cashier of the Waterbury National Bank, and a former
resident of Brooklyn, made inquiries in Windham county for a young man
to take a position in the W^aterbury Bank. His selection fell upon Mr.
Chase, who in 1850 took a subordinate position in the bank. In the follow-
ing year he became assistant cashier; in 1852, cashier; and in 1864 at the age
of thirty-six, its president, a position which he held for more than thirty
years, or until the time of his death. Not very long after settling in Water-
burv, Mr. Chase became interested in manufacturing, an interest that con-
tinued during the remainder of his life. He was a stockholder and officer in
many of Waterbury's successful companies, and of some of the most promi-
nent he was president. At the time of his death he was president of the
Waterbury Manufacturing Company, of the Benedict and Burnham Com-
pany, of the Waterbury Watch Company, and of the Waterbury Buckle
Company. Of these, the Waterbury Manufacturing Company, which he
established in association with his eldest son, Henry S. Chase, was exclu-
sively a family enterprise. It has grown from small beginnings to be one of
the largest brass manufacturing plants in the Naugatuck valley, and in asso-
ciation with the Chase Rolling Mill Company and the Chase Metal Works,
Incorporated, both of which were established by the family after Mr.
Chase's death in 1896, constitutes as a whole one of the important factors in
the brass business of the country.

Mr. Chase had always taken an active interest in newspapers, having
largely for his model a provincial paper of the character of the "Springfield
Republican." He was one of the original stockholders of the American
Printing Company, which was organized in 1868 to continue the publication
of the "Waterbury American" (founded in 1844), and with a small group
controlled its policy and promoted its development. From 1877 until his
death he was president of the American Printing Company and its impres-
sive building and well equipped plant on Grand street were constructed by
Mr. Chase and his son to give to a journal in which he felt keen pride a home

40 Augustus ^a&tn C&ase

suitable to its reputation. While in no sense a club man, he believed in the
club principle rightly expressed, and was one of the founders of the Water-
bury Club, and its first president. His interest in education was represented
by the active service he gave to St. Margaret's School, of which he was a
trustee, and of whose board he was treasurer from its establishment. He
was one of the original members of the Second Congregational Society, and
was an active member of the Waterbury Hospital Corporation. For the
hospital he obtained, through his friendship with the late Erastus de Forest,
the beautiful site from which it has recently moved to its present location.
He was the first treasurer of the city of Waterbury, and served the city on
the school and water boards, and as a member of the board of agents of the
Bronson Library. In his earlier years he also served the town for one term
in the Connecticut house of representatives.

Mr. Chase's success in business was due to qualities not uncommon in
themselves, but rare in combination. His judgment was cool and deliberate :
but, his judgment satisfied, he brought to the execution of his plans opti-
mism and courage as radical in their way as the preliminary planning was
conservative. He had faith in those with whom he was associated, many of
them being of his own selection. And there grew up around him a group of
young men who looked to him for the hopeful stimulus that springs from
buoyant faith. A self-reliant man, he relied on others to do their part, and
made them feel his confidence and appreciation. At once just and sympa-
thetic, he interested himself in all those whose concerns touched him. He
was never so busy as to lack time to listen and to advise.

Mr. Chase also enjoyed, what many business men of his great responsi-
bilities lack, a taste for literature and art. A home-keeping man, he gave
much of his time to his library, and was a steady and discriminating reader
of the best books. He loved beauty in form and color, and when at Madrid
just before his untimely death, at Paris, June 7, 1896, he by instinct chose
without guidance the first masterpieces of the Prado. He was no less a lover
of nature. Few men have brought into their maturer years so keen and
affectionate a memory of the country life of their boyhood. It was the great
pleasure of his hours of relaxation to cultivate and beautify the Rose Hill
estate where he lived with his family during his later years. As a citizen Mr.
Chase was public-spirited, interested in all matters of local concern, helpful
and generous, accepting the responsibilities of his position, sensitive for the
reputation and welfare of the community, and responsive to the claims of
society upon his duty, charity and neighborly kindness.

On September 7, 1854, Mr. Chase married Martha Clark Starkweather,
daughter of Dr. Rodney Starkweather, of Chesterfield, Massachusetts. Six
children were born to them, three sons and three daughters. Mrs. Chase
survived her husband for ten years, dying December i, 1906. The six chil-
dren are still living, and there are now in the family twenty-two grandchil-
dren, of whom seven are boys and fifteen are girls.

The sons, all of whom are graduates of the academic department of
Yale, have followed most successfully in the business career of their father.
Henry Sabin Chase, the eldest, and Frederick Starkweather Chase, the
youngest of the three sons, are associated closely in the control and man-

augu0tus Ratlin Ci)a0e

41

agement of the Chase Metal Works and its two allied plants. The other son.
Irving Hall Chase, began his business career upon leaving college in 1880,
with the Waterbury Clock Company, of which he is now the president and
treasurer, and in whose ownership his father was largely interested, and on
whose directorate he served for more than twenty years. Of the daughters,
Helen E. Chase is the eldest. Mary Eliza Chase, the second daughter, is the
wife of Arthur Reed Kimball, a resident of Waterbury, and the business
manager of the "Waterbury American," in which Mr. Chase was so largely
interested. The third daughter, Alice M. Chase, married Dr. Edward C.
Streeter, and they are residents of Boston.

F the great professions — arms, law and medicine — that illus-
trious trio which has for centuries given to the world some
of its noblest leaders and benefactors, that of medicine is
certainly the most gracious. Its votaries, unlike those of
arms and the law, wage war not with any portion of man-
kind, but with the enemies of the human race at large, and
in their hour of triumph they hear none but friendly voices.
The warrior comes from the battlefield bearing the palm of the victor, hear-
ing at the same time the shouts and plaudits of his triumphant followers and
the groans and defiance of the vanquished; the laurels won in intellectual
controversy crown the brow of the advocate, while the mingled voices of
applause and execration resound through the forum ; but the physician's
conquest is the subjugation of disease, his paeans are sung by those whom he
has redeemed from suffering and possibly from death, and when his weapons
fail to cope with an adversary whom he can never wholly vanquish, his sym-
pathy alleviates the pang he cannot avert. In the foremost ranks of these
helpers of humanity stood the late Dr. Timothy Huggins Bishop, of national
reputation as a physician and surgeon.

The name of Bishop is a noted one in professional lines for a number of
generations, and is of ancient English origin. Just how the title of a sacred
ofiice of the Catholic church came to be used for a surname is lost in the
obscurity of ancient history. It is suggested that it must have been a per-
sonal name, or a nickname, of some progenitor, just as major and deacon
are sometimes given. Bishop was in common use in England as a surname
many centuries ago, and no less than eleven hundred immigrants came from
there to Massachusetts prior to 1650 with their families. A number of
branches of the English Bishop family bear coats-of-arms, and have had
titles and dignities of various sorts.

Dr. Timothy Huggins Bishop was born in New Haven, Connecticut,
March 8, 1837, and died, in that city, December 25, 1906. He was a son of
Dr. E. Huggins Bishop and Hannah Maria (Lewis) Bishop, both born in
Southington, Connecticut. Seth Lewis, father of Hannah Maria (Lewis)
Bishop, was on the staff of General Washington and was one of the first
members of the Society of the Cincinnati. Dr. E. Huggins Bishop was a dis-
tinguished physician and philanthropist, and not only transmitted to his son
his own remarkable professional abilities, but fostered them by the most
liberal training, and the inestimable advantage of personal advice and
guidance during the years when his son was making for himself the honor-
able position and widespread reputation which he later attained.

Dr. Timothy Huggins Bishop received his preparatory education in the
schools of his native city, and then matriculated at Yale, being graduated
from the medical department of this institution after he had enlisted for
service in the Civil War. He served throughout the war, gaining much
valuable experience, and earning great commendation for his bravery as well

dTimotlt^ 3^.^t5K<Jp

Cimotftp i0ugsin0 lgi0l)op 43

as for his skill. For some time he was connected with the hospital at Alex-
andria, near Washington, District of Columbia, and then with the Soldiers'
Hospital of New Haven, serving at this last named hospital as long as his
services were needed after the close of the war. He never entirely severed
his connection with this hospital, serving for many years as secretary, giving
his time and advice without any thought of remuneration, and was one of
the principal factors in making it the magnificent institution it has become at
the present day. Later he engaged in general practice in association with
his father, continuing to make a specialty of surgery, however, but retired
from practice some years prior to his death. He was a member of the Order
of the Cincinnati, of the Society of Colonial Wars, and a life member of the
New Haven Colony Historical Society, in the work of which he was greatly
interested, especially that part of it relating to genealogy and patriotic
affairs. He was a member of the Connecticut Medical Society, in which he
filled the ofifice of secretary. In political matters he gave his allegiance to
the Republican party, although he never cared to hold public office, and he
was a devout attendant at the services of the Episcopal church.

Dr. Bishop married, at Guilford, Connecticut, June i, 1864, Jane Maria
Bennett, born in New Haven. Connecticut, a daughter of the Rev. Lorenzo
Thompson Bennett, D. D., and Maria (Smith) Bennett, the former a native
of Saratoga county, New York, the latter born in Connecticut. Children:
I. Dr. Louis Bennett Bishop, born June 5, 1865; was graduated from Yale
University in the class of 1886, and from the Medical School of this Univer-
sity in 1889; he is engaged in the practice of his profession in New Haven:
he is a great admirer of the taxidermist's art, and has one of the finest collec-
tions of stuffed birds in America; he married, July 16, 1910, Leona Bayliss,
of Port Jefferson, Long Lsland, New York, and they have one child, Her-
bert B., born August 20, 1912. 2. Herbert Morton, born July 9, 1868; was
graduated from Yale University in the class of 1890, and from Yale Law
School in 1892; he is engaged in the real estate business in New York City,
was a member of the famous New Haven Grays, and is a member of the
Quinnipack Club of New Haven; he married, October 15, 1913, Marion C.
Voos, of New York. 3. May Lillian, born May 31, 1873 ; married, September
10, 1907, John Walcott Thompson, an attorney of Salt Lake City, a son
of General J. Milton Thompson, United States army, now retired; they
live in Salt Lake City, Utah; children: Walcott Bishop, born December 8,
1908; Margaret Hildegarde, September 10, 1910; Dorothy Jane, June 3,
1912. Mrs. Timothy Huggins Bishop lives in a fine home at No. 215 Church
street. New Haven.

Dr. Bishop was a man of great sagacity, quick perceptions, sound judg-
ment, noble impulses and remarkable force. Of unblemished reputation, he
commanded the respect and confidence of the entire community. He devoted
his life to a noble calling and was crowned with its choicest rewards. The
true physician, in the exercise of his beneficent calling, heeds neither nation-
ality nor distinction of class. Alike to him are the prince and the pauper,
and into both the palace and the hovel he comes as a messenger of hope and
healing. The acquisition was nothing to him save as a means of giving a

44

Cimotljp l^uggfns TSfsbop

material form and practical force to his projects for the uplifting of human-
ity. Many there are in the ranks of this illustrious profession, to the honor
of human nature be it said, to whom the above description would apply, but
the voice, not of his home city alone, nor even of his native State, but of the
Nation, would declare that of none could it be said with greater truthfulness
than of Dr. Bishop.

JUu^-o^ Sl . ff^zc^/^

antireto leafjeeler ^l)iUtps, M* B.

NDREW WHEELER PHILLIPS. Ph. D., for fifteen years
Dean of the Yale Graduate School, a noted mathematician,
died at his home, 409 Humphrey street. New Haven, Con-
necticut, January 20, 191 5. Professor Phillips was son of
Dennison and Wealthy Browning (Wheeler) Phillips, and
was born March 14, 1844, in the town of Griswold, New
London county, Connecticut. The Phillips family was very
early in Norwich, and for several generations in Griswold, and Professor
Phillips was descended from fine old New England stock. He had the best
kind of home training, under a father and mother thrifty, intelligent, and
devoutly religious. His early years were spent on his father's farm. When
quite young he was inspired with an ambition to become a teacher, — a not
unnatural ambition, in view of his unusual talents in that direction. Begin-
ning when a lad of sixteen, he taught four years in the public schools of
Eastern Connecticut, and at the same time continued his study of the higher
branches, especially of mathematics, both privately and at a select school
kept during three summer vacations in Jewett City. From 1864 to 1875 ^^
was instructor in mathematics at the Episcopal Academy in Cheshire, Con-
necticut. Pursuing advanced studies in mathematics under Professor
Hubert A. Newton, he obtained in 1873 the degree of Bachelor of Philoso-
phy, which was followed in 1877, after graduate courses in mathematics,
physics, and the political and social sciences, by the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy. In 1875 Trinity College conferred upon him the honorary
degree of Master of Arts.

Professor Phillips was called to Yale in 1876 as tutor in mathematics,
was promoted to be Assistant Professor in 1881, and Professor in 1891.
Four years later he became Dean of the Graduate School, these promotions
coming to him in deserved recognition of his unusual ability as a teacher
and administrator. He was for many years Secretary of both branches of
the College Faculty, and was Secretary of the Bicentennial Committee,
which raised nearly two million dollars for the erection of the Bicentennial
buildings known as Woolsey, Memorial and University Halls. Probably no
member of the Faculty was more widely known among Yale alumni. After
thirty-five years on the Yale Faculty, he retired from active service in 191 1.
His career as a teacher and administrative ofiicer extended over a full half-
century. He gained the education that fitted him so well for his work at
Yale mostly by private study. He was never a pupil in a high school, and
never an undergraduate student in a college.

Professor Phillips was greatly interested in preparatory schools. In
1883 he was chosen Trustee of the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut at
Cheshire, and three years later was made a Trustee of the Hopkins Gram-
mar School in New Haven. When the Hotchkiss School at Lakeville was
established in 1891, he was placed on the first Board of Trustees and later
became President of the Board.

46 anDreto ^fjeeler pf)iIHp0

Professor Phillips was joint author of several mathematical works,
including "Transcendental Curves" with Professor Newton, "Graphic Alge-
bra" and "The Orbit of Swift's Comet" with Professor William Beebe, "The
Elements of Geometry" with Professor Irving Fisher, and "Trigonometry
and Tables" with Dr. Wendell M. Strong. For a period of thirteen years he
edited the "Connecticut Almanac," and various papers on higher mathe-
matics and astronomy were contributed by him to scientific and educational
journals. He was a member of the American Association for the Advance-
ment of Science, of the American Mathematical Society, and of the Con-
necticut Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was a member of the Protestant
Episcopal Church, and acted in political movements with the Republicans.

In announcing the death of Professor Phillips at the College chapel
service on the twenty-first, the chaplain, a former pupil, after paying a just
tribute to the deceased, read the Parable of the Good Samaritan, saying that
this character in the parable most nearly represented Professor Phillips' life.

On the morning of January 22 the following editorial appeared in a
New Haven paper :

To residents of this city and to many generations of Yale men, the unexpected death
of Professor Andrew Wheeler Phillips in this city on Wednesday night was a very real
loss. During his long and notable connection with the University, whose welfare and
best interests it was his proud delight to serve, he was to the men of Yale ".^ndy" Phil-
lips. Many New Haveners not identified with the University also knew him as well and
as favorably as "Andy" Phillips. The career of the man who, in an unlooked-for manner,
has at the allotted time of threescore years and ten ceased from his interesting and
valuable labors, is too well known to call for any extended comment here. The whole-
some product of the New England soil, Andrew Phillips was early aware of that rare
summons, a call to devote his talents and the potentialities of a great heart to the high
calling of education. His course of teaching in the public schools of eastern Connecticut ;
his subsequent establishment of a place of high regard among the students, alumni and
friends of the Cheshire Academy, where he began to teach mathematics in 1864 and con-
tinued for more than a decade; his teaching career at Yale, where from the year 1877
until a few years ago he was successively tutor, assistant professor, and professor of
mathematics ; and his notable record in the administrative office of Dean of the Yale
Graduate School from 1895 to his retirement from the active service of the University in
191 1 — all revealed the natural teacher. Possessed to an uncommon degree of the essen-
tial and unquenchable spirit of youth, he understood boys and young men. It was this
fine feeling from the human wants of the men who under his tutelage wandered through
the mazes of calculus (which he, if any one, could render intelligible) and the other
mysteries of higher mathematics, that made him "Andy" and not "Professor" Phillips.
That was a rare compliment, and it pleased the man's very human vanity and gave him a
store of the choicest memories, which were ever ready for recital. It might be consid-
ered in the nature of a paradox that the author of mathematical text-books, and the
occasional designer of wall paper by ingeniously plotted mathematical curves, should
have possessed a distinct literary gift with a happy knack of turning a phrase, but such
was the case. Here again the genial good nature of the man came to the surface, and the
numerous recipients of letters of felicitation or consolation, done in graceful verse or
striking prose, had "Andy" Phillips to thank for a happier outlook on life. A young old
man — if to have reached the age of seventy and still be a boy at heart is to be old — he
bore his years gracefully. The friends of "Andy" Phillips were not ready to let him go,
so much good cheer and positive helpfulness were still to be radiated. He will be missed.

Professor Phillips was married (first) April 23, 1867, to Maria Scoville
Clarke, who died February 22, 1896; (second) June 27, 1912, to Mrs. Agnes
DuBois Northrop (born Hitchcock) of Waterbury, Connecticut, who sur-
vived him.

jBtatbamel €ugene Wlortin, 01* B*

'HE RANKS of the medical profession in New England have
presented us with many illustrious names which have mer-
ited the respect and honor of their fellow citizens for many
brilliant achievements, but of none who more justly deserved
this meed of praise than that of Dr. Nathaniel Eugene
Wordin, for many years a leader of his profession in Con-
necticut and one of the foremost citizens of the city of
Bridgeport in that State. His death, which occurred on May lo, 191 5, was
profoundly mourned among a host of personal friends and one of the largest
clienteles in that part of the country. He was sprung of a splendid old Con-
necticut family which had been identified with Bridgeport since its earliest
beginnings, having come there it seems probable from Stratford, Connec-
ticut, as early as 1772. Captain William Wordin. presumably the son of
Thomas and Dorcas (Cooke) Wordin, of the latter city, was the person in
whom the removal to Bridgeport was made, he being the purchaser of land
where now is located the corner of State and Park avenues. This property
remained the homestead of the Wordin family for many years, the ancestors
of the present generation being most of them born there.

On the maternal side, also. Dr. Wordin was descended from a fine New-
England house, the Leavenworths. founded here by Thomas Leavenworth,
who came to this country shortly after the restoration of Charles H. and
sometime prior to the year 1664, when his name first appears on the records
of Woodbury, Connecticut. Dr. Wordin's parents were well known resi-
dents of Bridgeport, his father being a successful merchant there and con-
ducting a large business in drugs.

Dr. Nathaniel Eugene Wordin was born May 26, 1844, on the old
Wordin Homestead in Bridgeport, and, with the exception of a compara-
tively short time during his youth has always identified himself and his
activities with that place. The first sixteen years of his life were passed
there and during this time he laid the foundation of his unusually liberal
education at the excellent local public schools. When he had attained the age
of sixteen years he was sent South to Petersburg, Virginia, to attend there a
school conducted by an uncle, the Rev. Mr. Leavenworth, a Presbyterian
clergyman. This was in the year i860, and the following year the Civil
War broke out. Young Mr. Wordin was involved in a number of exciting
adventures and only just managed to get back to the North, taking passage
on the steamer "Northern Star," the last to run the Confederate blockade
from Richmond. A year later, feeling the great wave of patriotism that
then swept the country, he enlisted in Company I, Sixth Regiment Connec-
ticut Volunteers, though he was but eighteen years of age. His quickness
and coolness were soon remarked by his officers and he was detailed as secre-
tary and orderly to Colonel Chatfield in command of the Sixth Connecticut
Regiment, a post that he held for some time when he was sent South to join

48 Jl3at|)aniel OBugcne MIotDIn

his regiment, as an orderly and secretary, and later was clerk at headquar-
ters, all during the war. He remained with the regiment until it was mus-
tered out in 1865. During the latter part of the great struggle, the Sixth
Connecticut Regiment formed a part of the Tenth Army Corps and saw
active service in the extreme southeast during the campaign in that quarter
which culminated in the march to Richmond and the close of hostilities. He
was one of those who entered Richmond with the victorious Federal army
and it was his hand that drew up the order of General Shepley putting the
city under martial law. He had the distinction also of drawing up many of
General Grant's orders at the time concerning the disposition of troops, etc.
This long suspension of his normal life having at length ended, the
young man returned to the North and there resumed the studies that had
been so rudely interrupted. He had already determined upon medicine as a
career and now began courses looking in that direction. He first prepared
himself for college by attending the Golden Hill Institute at Bridgeport,
and it was while studying there that he first met the young lady who was
afterwards to be his wife. The young man was by taste and character a
student and he devoted himself to many literary subjects, not necessary in
the pursuit of his professional work, but merely because of his fondness for
such subjects. After graduation from the Golden Hill Institute, he matricu-
lated at Yale University, where he continued his brilliant career as a student.
He was a prominent member of his class and took an active part in the life
of the student body of which he was a popular member. He was a member
of the Linonia, Kappa Sigma Epsilon and Alpha Delta Phi fraternities. He
graduated with many honors with the class of 1870. He next turned his
attention more particularly to his professional work and attended the Yale
Medical School for one year and then for two years attended the Jefferson
Medical School at Philadelphia, from which he graduated in 1873. Return-
ing to his native city, Bridgeport, he at once began the practice of his pro-
fession there and was from the outset highly successful. He established his
home and ofiice at No. 174 Fairfield avenue, Bridgeport, and there made his
headquarters during the twenty-nine years that he remained in practice until
his death. This practice was a very large one for his fame was not confined
to the city where he dwelt, or even to the State, but spread abroad through-
out New England and he was soon regarded as one of the leaders of his pro-
fession in that part of the world. He was a man who was never content to
rest on the achievements of the past nor to content himself with anything
less than the latest knowledge of his subject, so that he ever kept well
abreast of the times, and this was the easier to him as his taste was for study
and research. In the year 1879 he took a special course in post-graduate
work at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in diseases of the eye, and thereafter
specialized to a certain extent in this complaint. His original intention had
been, on taking up this study, to remove to Aintal in central Turkey and
there take up the practice of his specialty, but this idea was finally aban-
doned and he remained at home. He did not give up his general practice,
and, indeed, rather increased it than otherwise, but he took as much time as
possible for his special work.

JHortJtn

J^atfjaniel (gugene ^otPfn 49

Besides his private practice Dr. Wordin was associated professionally
with a number of hospitals and other institutions where his services were
invaluable. He was on the staff of the Bridgeport Hospital, one of the
managers of the Fairfield County Temporary Home, and physician to the
Bridgeport Protestant Orphan Asylum for forty years. In 1890 he was
appointed by Governor Bulkeley to be a member of the State Board of
Health, an office which he held so effectively that he was continued in it for
nine years. Besides these posts involving the direct use of his professional
knowledge, he also held others in connection with the profession but of a
more general kind. He belonged to many medical clubs and organizations
and his unusually energetic nature rendered him active in all. He belonged
to the Bridgeport Medical Society and was secretary two years and presi-
dent three years. He was a member of the Fairfield County Medical Society,
and of the State Society, and for seventeen years was secretary of the same
and its president for one year. During his incumbency he was very active in
publishing the reports of the society, compiling and editing the same with
infinite care and labor. In the year 1892, on the occasion of the one hun-
dredth anniversary of the organization he brought out a "Centennial Vol-
ume" consisting of over one thousand pages, entirely the work of his hands.
He was also a member of the National American Association, the American
Public Health Association and a charter member of the American Academy
of Medicine.

The activities of some men must often surprise their fellows because of
their variety and number and the endless store of energy necessary for
taking part in them all. Such was remarkably the case with Dr. Wordin
who, besides the many professional and semi-professional demands already
cited, was active in a number of other departments of the community's life.
He was conspicuous socially and was an honored member of many of the
most prominent clubs. In memory of his early soldier days, he belonged to
Elias Howe Post, No. 3, Grand Army of the Republic, and besides this he
was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, the United Order of
the Golden Cross, the Contemporary Club, the Sea Side Club, and in con-
nection with his literary pursuits, of the Fairfield County Historical Society.
In the matter of religion he was afiiliated with the First Congregational
Church of Bridgeport, holding the post of deacon therein for a considerable
period, and making himself active in Christian-Endeavor work as well as in
the Young Men's Christian Association.

It has already been stated that during his attendance upon his courses
in the Golden Hill Institute while a young man. Dr. Wordin had met the
young lady who was afterwards to become his wife. This was Eliza Wood-
ruff Barnes, a daughter of Dr. Julius Steele Barnes, a graduate of Yale Col-
lege and Yale Medical School, and a practicing physician of Southington,
Connecticut. The friendship which the two young people formed at that
time soon ripened into love, and was kept up by correspondence during the
young man's absence at college and medical school. Some years later Miss
Barnes went to Wilmington, Delaware, where she was offered a position as
school teacher, and there Dr. Wordin also went and married her, Christmas

CONN-4

so Jl3at[)aniel (ZBugcne COotDfn

Day, 1879. To them was born one daughter, Laura Barnes, now deceased.
Mrs. Wordin, who survives her husband, is related to many of the promi-
nent Connecticut families and is herself a conspicuous figure in the society
of the city.

Dr. Wordin's fondness for literary pursuits has been cited above and it
was characteristic of his active nature that he should have followed them
indefatigably. Receiving a most liberal educaton in the arts and sciences in
his youth, of which he availed himself to the utmost, he continued to follow
up these, to him, delightful matters during the remainder of his life, and
justly bore the reputation of great culture and profound learning. As was
very natural, his own professional studies occupied the first place in his
interest and he spared no pains to perfect himself in these. He was also
very fond of travel and these two tastes he more than once combined in trips
that he took for pleasure and profit. In 1899, for instance, he travelled to the
Pacific coast, and three years later he went to Mexico where he spent a year.
He also spent much time in original writing, and many of his papers on
medical subjects were read before the American Association and other
societies of which he was a member. As a man he was universally respected
and loved, and the sorrow caused by his death was not confined to any com-
munity or class but extended to all who were acquainted with him even the
most casually. Illustrative of the tone of the tributes paid his memory
after that sad event the "Bridgeport Telegram" may be quoted, which in
the course of a long obituary notice said:

The death of Dr. Wordin removes one of Bridgeport's foremost citizens, a man
widely known for his kindly nature and his interest in the public welfare, beloved by all
who knew him. Dr. Wordin was of that serene temperament which drew respect for his
opinions from even those who differed with him. Like many of the old school physicians
he gave much of his time and service to alleviating pain and suffering, with no hope of
recompense.

As one spoke so spoke all, and the reputation which he held at once as a
physician and as a man should prove an example to all young men who con-
template undertaking that difficult career in which he so nobly distinguished
himself.

L/C-M^-L-- X/i^-cL^

7-S.-tiLe--r'-<-^

©Itber (S^tltiersleebe

, LIVER GILDERSLEEVE, in whose death on July 26, 1912,
not only his home community, but the State of Connecticut,
lost one of its worthiest sons, was a member of an old and
prominent New England family, which is to-day represented
in many parts of the country by distinguished men of the
name, the descendants all, through divers branches, from the
original immigrant ancestor, who in the early colonial times
founded the family in America. This ancestor was Richard Gildersleeve,
who was born in the year 1601 in Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, and
came from there to the New England colonies at a time the precise date
of which is unknown, but which must have been in his early manhood. The
first record we have of him in the new land is contained in the Colonial
Records of 1636, where he is mentioned as the owner of two hundred and
fifty-odd acres in Wethersfield, Connecticut. He seemed to be possessed of
the instincts of the pioneer, and was ever moving forward to unsettled
regions as civilization followed him. In 1641, he formed one of the group of
men who pushed themselves a little further west and founded the city of
Stamford, and four years later he was once more of the party who pushed
across the Long Island Sound, and settled Hempstead, Long Island. Here,
in this colony in the wilderness which bore the same name as his birthplace
in old England, he finally took up his abode, remaining one of the most
prominent men in the little place for some forty years. From his time down-
ward, the record of his family has been one of long and distinguished service,
first to the colonies and later to the republic which was reared upon that
base. And not only in the Gildersleeve line proper, but in those families
with which through the course of years it allied itself. Two generations
from the founder there branched off from the line that we are considering,
the Gildersleeve family which is now represented by its distinguished son.
Justice Gildersleeve of the New York Supreme Court. From the generation
following came another branch from which is descended Professor Basil
Lanneau Gildersleeve. author of a Latin Grammar bearing his name and
other text-books, founder of the "American Journal of Philology," and
holder of the chair of Greek in Johns Hopkins University. From still
another offshoot are descended the Gildersleeves of Kingston, Canada, who
have large transportation interests and are prominent politically there.

Obediah Gildersleeve, the great-grandson of the original Richard
Gildersleeve, was born in Huntington. Long Island, in the year 1728, and
founded the ship-building business in which Oliver Gildersleeve is at present
engaged, it being thus one of the oldest industries in the .State. This Obe-
diah Gildersleeve was also the one to establish the home of the family in
what is now known as Gildersleeve, Portland, Connectiut, on the river of
that name, where his descendants have ever since dwelt. It was in the year
1776 that he moved to this place and in that year that he started to build

52 Dlitjet (!5fIDcrsIeeVje

ships. It was as early as 1790 that his son Philip built the famous old war-
ship "Connecticut" for the United States Navy.

It was Philip's son, Sylvester Gildersleeve, the grandfather of our sub-
ject, who organized the business under the firm name of S. Gildersleeve &
Sons, which it continues to bear to this day. It v^^as also this member of the
family who was instrumental in establishing a line of packets between New
York City and Galveston, Texas, and developing a trade between the two
ports in which fifteen vessels were employed, all of which were built by S.
Gildersleeve & Sons. Sylvester Gildersleeve was a man of parts and occu-
pied a position of great prominence among his fellow citizens of Gilder-
sleeve and Portland. He lived to be ninety-one years of age and there is
an interesting photograph of him seated upon the same sofa with his son
Henry, his grandson Oliver and his great-grandson Alfred Gildersleeve, four
generations of ship-builders. Since then Alfred has grown up and has now
a son Alfred, Jr., who if he follows in the footsteps of his forebears, as there
seems every reason to believe he will, will make the seventh generation of
ship-builders in his family.

Oliver Gildersleeve was born into this business, just as he was born
into the old family mansion at Gildersleeve, when he first saw the light on
March 6, 1844. He passed his entire life in Gildersleeve with the exception
of the short time he was away at school, and indeed received the elementary
portion of his education there in the local schools. He later attended the
Chase Private School of Middletown, Connecticut, and completed his course
of studies at the Public High School in Hartford. Upon graduating from
the latter institution, at the age of seventeen, he entered the ship-building
establishment of S. Gildersleeve & Sons as an apprentice. If it is true that
Mr. Gildersleeve was born into the ancestral business, it is equally true that
no favor was shown him, nor, indeed, any of the Gildersleeve children, in the
work required of them in their apprenticeship. The men of the line have had
far too much practical sense to allow their children to hope for the direction
of an industry without that experience and skilled training which alone
could render them fitted to the task. It thus happened that the training of
Oliver Gildersleeve in the business which he was one day to head, was long
and arduous and consisted of every kind of work used in connection with
the building of vessels of every kind, so that to quote a local publication,
when the time came for him to assume the management of the concern he
could "plan, draft, estimate, contract for a vessel of any size, can do any part
of the work, and build the whole vessel with his hands, give him time
enough." At the time of his entrance into the establishment, there was on
the ways a vessel destined to obtain national fame, and it was upon its con-
struction that the youth performed his first labor. This was the gunboat
"Cayuga," which was being built for the United States government, and
which later took part in the Union attack upon New Orleans in the Civil
War, leading the fleet in the capture of that place. The old gunboat
"Cayuga" was number eighty-three of the vessels built by S. Gildersleeve &
Sons, but during the connection of Mr. Gildersleeve with the yard, in the
neighborhood of one hundred and fifty vessels were added to these, showing
how great has been the activity since that day.

SDWott (gflDerslcctie 53

Mr. Gildersleeve's position as head of this large and important indus-
trial enterprise was sufficient to make him a prominent figure in the business
life of his community, but his interests by no means stopped there. He was
a man interested in all industrial growth, not merely from the selfish attitude
of the investor, but from that of the public spirited citizen who desires to see
all that can benefit the community proper. How energetic he was in the
matter of the town's industrial interest is admirably shown in the case of
the National Stamping and Enamelling Company of New York which had
had for many years a plant at Portland, Connecticut, which at one time had
employed six hundred hands in its extensive operations. The plant was an
enormous one covering one hundred and thirty-five thousand square feet of
land with its buildings and altogether occupying eighteen acres. In the
latter part of the past century and for the first five years of the present one,
this great factory had been practically abandoned, no work was carried on
there and the valuable buildings and equipment were rapidly deteriorating.
These facts coming to the notice of Mr. Gildersleeve, awakened in him a
desire to remedy what he considered a most unfortunate state of affairs,
and he set about with characteristic energy to reestablish the business. He
interested a number of New Yock capitalists in the matter and in connec-
tion with them bought the entire property. The Maine Product Company
was then organized and with new machinery installed in a part of the old
plant, a large business in mica products was established. With the taking
over of the business of the National Gum and Mica Company of New York
City, it became the largest concern of the kind in the United States. The
remainder of the great plant they rented to the New England Enamelling
Company of Middletown, Connecticut, which has developed a great indus-
try of its own, and promises, indeed, to do a larger business than that carried
by its predecessors. This is but one example of the many enterprises with
the organization or rehabilitation of which Mr. Gildersleeve was identified.
He was actively engaged in the management in one or another capacity
of well-nigh every concern of importance in the neighborhood. He
was especially active in introducing into Portland and other communi-
ties the public utilities upon which to such a large extent the development of
a modern community depends. He was the founder and president of the
Portland Water Company of Portland, Connecticut, from 1889 until his
death; the Portland Street Railway Company, from 1893 to 1896; the Mid-
dletown Street Railway Company of Middletown, Connecticut; the Gilder-
sleeve and Cromwell Ferry Company of Cromwell, Connecticut ; the Middle-
sex Quarry Company of Portland; the Phoenix Lead Mining Company of
Silver Cliflf, Colorado; the Brown Wire Gun Company of New York City;
and vice-president and treasurer of the Maine Product Company from its
organization in 1905 until his death. He was also a director in the First
National Bank of Portland; the Alabama Barge and Coal Company of Tide-
water, Alabama; the United States Graphotype Company of New York;
the Texas and Pacific Coal Company of Thurber, Texas; the Ideal Manu-
facturing Company of Gildersleeve, Connecticut ; and trustee of the Free-
stone Savings Bank of Portland, Connecticut ; of property under the will of
Henry Gildersleeve, and of the S. Gildersleeve School Fund of Gildersleeve,

54 ©Utier (SilDetsIeetie

Connecticut. Mr. Gildersleeve was also interested for a number of years in
the shipping commission business of his brother, Sylvester Gildersleeve,
w^ith offices at No. 84 South street. New York City, and in 1897 he estab-
lished at No. I Broadway. New York, under the management of his son,
Louis Gildersleeve, an agency for the sale or hiring of the vessels con-
structed at the yards in Gildersleeve. This agency has succeeded admirably
under the direction of the young man who seems to have inherited much of
his father's business ability. In reading over this great list of prominent
companies and corporations one cannot help being impressed with the mag-
nitude of Mr. Gildersleeve's labors, for he was no figurehead allowing the
use of his name at the head of official lists and on directorates for advertis-
ing purposes, but a hard worker who really took part in the labors of man-
agement. Yet even this gives no adequate idea of the real extent of his
activities which invaded every department of the community's life. Mr.
Gildersleeve did not, it is true, enter politics in the usual sense of that term,
yet even in politics he did take a disinterested part, and in the year 1900, an
active one. He had always been a staunch member of the Democratic party
and a strong supporter of the principles for which that party stood and was,
of course, looked upon as something of a leader by his political fellows, on
account of his general influence in the community. It is probable, however,
that no one was more surprised than he, probably no one as much, when he
learned in 1900 that he had been chosen the Democratic candidate for Con-
gress. It was an exciting campaign and Mr. Gildersleeve's known rectitude
and his personal popularity counted for much, so that in the election he ran
far ahead of his party, but even personal considerations were not sufficient
to overcome the normal Republican majority in the district, so that he was
defeated, though by a very small margin.

Mr. Gildersleeve was prominently identified with the social and club
life of the community and, indeed, was a member of many associations of
nation wide fame and importance. Among others he belonged to the
National Geographic Society of Washington, D. C, the Civil Federation of
New England, the Middlesex County Historical Society of Middletown,
Connecticut, and the Association of the Descendants of Andrew Ward.

Throughout his life Mr. Gildersleeve exhibited a growing interest in,
and devotion to, the cause of religion and the Episcopal church, of which
he was a lifelong member. For many years he attended divine service in
Trinity Church, Portland, and since 1884 was a warden thereof until his
death. In the same year (1884) he was elected a delegate to the Annual
Diocesan Episcopal Convention, an office which he held and performed the
functions of. until the time of his death. He was also a member of the
Diocesan Committee to cooperate with the General Board of Missions, the
Diocesan Committee on Finance and of the Diocesan Committee appointed
to raise the "Missionary Thank Ofifering" to be presented by the men of
the church at the General Convention in Richmond, in gratitude for the
three hundred years of English Christianity, from the settlement of James-
town in 1607 until that year, 1907. Not only was he interested in diocesan
matters, but he took an active part in the work of the parish and served as
superintendent of the Sunday-school from 1872 until his death. He was

SDIiijer (SilDetsIcetie 55

chairman for two years of the Building Committee of the John Henry Hall
Memorial Parish House, and in 1900 himself established a memorial fund in
connection with the church. He was also a member of the Church Club of
Connecticut for a number of years.

Mr. Gildersleeve was married, November 8, 1871, to Miss Mary Ellen
Hall, a native of Portland, and a daughter of Hon. Alfred Hall, of that
place. The Hall family is a very old one in that part of the country and
was descended originally from John Hall, a first settler in Hartford and
Middletown. To Mr. and Mrs. Gildersleeve were born eight children, two
of whom died before their father, and the rest survive him with their
mother. They were as follows : Alfred, born August 23, 1872, married Miss
Lucy C. Ibbetson and had by her three children, Marion Hall, Lucille
Darling and Alfred Henry; Walter, born August 23, 1874; Louis, born
September 22, 1877, and died July 3, 1913; Emily Hall, born 1879, ^"^ died
August 12, 1880; Elizabeth Jarvis, born June 6, 1882, and died January 18,
1883; Charles, born December 11, 1884, and married Miss Margaret McLen-
nan; Nelson Hall, born September 14, 1887, and Oliver, Jr., born March
9, 1890.

The personal character of Mr. Gildersleeve was a most admirable one,
and of a kind calculated to win him true friends and admirers. To the
sterling qualities of an unquestionable honor and an unusual persistency in
seeking his objects, he added a simplicity and directness of outlook rare
indeed. He was absolutely unpretentious both in his manner of living and
in his relations with his fellowmen, and maintained for his sons the same
simple conditions under which his own character had developed and with a
like result in their case. He was one of the best known and best loved
figures in the community and his death was felt as a loss not merely by his
immediate family and his host of personal friends, but by all his fellow
townsfolk, none of whom but had benefited, at least indirectly, as the result
of his activities.

Cljarles Eortng lEfjttman

'HE death of the Hon. Charles Loring Whitman on March 8,
1886, deprived the town of Farmington, Connecticut, of one
of its most highly valued citizens, and the State of a most
distinguished Democrat, a man loved and respected by all.
He was sprung of one of those splendid old houses which,
settling in New England early in the Colonial period, have
grown up and identified themselves with the history of that
region through all the stiri:ing years that preceded the birth of the new
Nation, and the years of peaceful development subsequent thereto.

John Whitman, the founder of the family in this country, came from
the region of Holt, England, to the little colony at Weymouth, Massachu-
setts, in the latter part of the seventeenth century, there being a record of
his admission as a freeman there in 1678-79. It was in the days of his grand-
son, the Rev. Samuel Whitman, that the removal to Farmington, Connecti-
cut, took place, to which place he was called as minister, and which from
that day to this has been the home of the family. The great-grandson of this
worthy and able clergyman was William Whitman, the father of Charles
Loring Whitman, a native and lifelong resident of the beautiful old home-
stead which had been occupied by the family since its arrival in Farmington,
and which during his life was used as a hotel. Mr. Whitman, Sr., was a
well known figure in the neighborhood, and "Whitman's Hotel," as it was
universally known, gained, together with its shrewd and intelligent propri-
etor, a wide reputation. He married, October 12, 1812, Elizabeth Whiting,
of Beverly, Massachusetts, and a daughter of Zenas and Leah (Loring)
Whiting, of that place. They were the parents of four children, as follows:
Ann Sophia, born September 15, 1816, afterwards became Mrs. Henry
Farnam, of New Haven, and the mother of Professor Henry Walcott Far-
nam, of Yale University; William Henry, born March 18, 1823; Charles
Loring, of whom further; George Bronson.

Charles Loring Whitman, the third child of William and Elizabeth
(Whiting) Whitman, was born in the old Whitman home in Farmington,
May 27, 1826. He passed his entire boyhood in his native town, and there
attended the public schools, where he laid the foundation of his splendid
education. He later attended a school at Hingham, Massachusetts, the
Hingham Academy, from which he graduated. Although his course at this
institution completed his schooling, it was very far from ending his educa-
tion, which, as in the case of all true students, only ended with his life. He
was a constant reader and a keen observer, an untired seeker after knowl-
edge, so that throughout all his years he added to his store. After leaving
the school at Hingham, he went to Boston and there secured a position as
clerk in a dry goods store. He did not remain in this employment for a great
period, however, as the advancing years of his father called him back to
Farmington to take his share of the burdens of the business there. His
father lived to the venerable age of ninety-four years, and during the latter

^mntat ilxarlts 'foi'nio, If hitman

C&arleg noting mbitman 57

part of his life his son took up the management of the hotel more and more,
until at his father's death there was no perceptible difference in its manage-
ment. He shortly discontinued the business entirely, receiving about that
time the appointment as judge of probate. He retained the old mansion as
his home, however, a home filled with intimate and ancient tradition and
association.

From early youth up Mr. Whitman was greatly interested in the polit-
ical issues which confronted country, State and town, and upon his return
from Boston to Farmington, identified himself with the local organization
of the Democratic party, of whose principles he was an ardent supporter all
his life. It was not a great while before he became the recognized leader of
his party in that part of the State. He was urged to accept the nomination
to the State Senate by his fellow Democrats in view of his great prominence
in the party and his general popularity. He accepted the honor and was
duly elected to the office, serving as a member of that body until his death,
which was, indeed, the result of a stroke of apoplexy with which he was
stricken while attending a legislative session.

Mr. Whitman was a man of strong religious feelings and beliefs, but
independent in thought and action. He had been reared in the Congrega-
tional church, the traditional mode of worship in the Whitman family, but
became strongly interested in the Episcopal doctrine and form, and eventu-
ally joined that church. He and Mrs. Whitman were conspicuous among
the founders of the Episcopal church at Farmington, through their activity
securing a mission there. Mr. Whitman did not live to see the actual erec-
tion of the church building, an occurrence which took place some years after
his death. As in every other matter which he took up, Mr. Whitman was
most energetic in the work he did in connection with the church. He
entered into it with heart and soul, and left no stone unturned to accomplish
his cherished project.

Mr. Whitman married, in August, 1863, Caroline E. Thompson, a
native of Rochester, New York, and the daughter of Lemuel and Eliza Allen
(Hall) Thompson, who were natives of Rochester, New York, and of
Cornish, New Hampshire, respectively.

There is no doubt that the career of Mr. Whitman, successful as it had
already been, would have known a still more brilliant future, had not death
so abruptly cut it short. One of the chief factors in his success was undoubt-
edly his remarkable power of making friends, but this power in turn
depended upon some of the most fundamental virtues for its existence. That
he should first attract those who came in casual association was doubtless
due to the attractive exterior, the ready wit and simple candor, but the
transformation of these into faithful friends was possible only to the pro-
found trust which all men felt in the perfect sincerity of his nature and the
honest disinterestedness of his intentions. The certainty of their confi-
dence in him is nowhere better illustrated than in the common appeal that
was made to him to settle disputes and quarrels. Mr. Whitman had never
taken up the practice of the law, yet people flocked to him in large numbers
with their complaints, and although his reward was rarely more than a

58 Cftarles JLotfng mbitman

"thank you," yet he never failed to win the lifelong friendship of those he
counselled. His popularity was very widespread, and the news of his death
was felt as a loss in all parts of the State, but the strongest affection was felt
for him in his own home district and it was there that he gave most gener-
ously of his friendship and service. It has already been remarked that he
was an enthusiastic Democrat and an ardent Episcopalian, but he never
allowed his generosity to be limited by considerations of creed or political
belief, but gave freely to all who stood in need. His generosity was pro-
verbial, and yet his benefactions were so unostentatious that but few were
aware of their extent. It was truly said of him that "the world is better for
such men as Charles Loring Whitman having lived in it." His death has left
a gap in the life of his community, which despite the twenty-nine years that
have elapsed is still unfilled.

3o|)n (Bilhtxt 2aoot

OHN GILBERT ROOT, in whose death on February 14,
1910, the city of Hartford lost one of its most distinguished
citizens, though not himself a native of Connecticut, was a
scion of good old Connecticut stock, tracing his descent in
the direct male line from another John Root, one of the early
settlers of Farmington in that State. He was the son of
Silas and Merilla (Chapman) Root, old residents of West-
field, Massachusetts, where he was born April 20, 1835.

Mr. Root passed his childhood and early youth in his native town and
gained his education in the local schools. He left these institutions early,
however, speedily mastered his studies there, and at the age of sixteen he
secured a position in the Westfield Bank, making thus a start in the line of
activity in which he was to continue his business career through life. He
was already, at this early age, possessed of more than the usual share of
intelligence and ambition, and his alertness and readiness for hard work
compelled the respect and admiration of his employers. As was natural
under the circumstances, the young man soon met with advancement, and
as it was his purpose in all of the positions filled by him during the course of
his promotion to gain as complete a mastery of the details of banking as was
possible, he soon became unusually well versed in his business, and a val-
uable adjunct of the bank. At the age of twenty years, after four years of
this training, which was the more valuable because it was received in a rural
bank, where duties are not so highly subdivided as in the larger city institu-
tions, and each man has an opportunity to take part in a larger number of
departments, Mr. Root received an offer to take the position of teller in the
Hartford County Bank of Hartford, Connecticut. He at once accepted this
oflfer, and in 1855 removed there, to the city which was ever after to remain
his home and the scene of the many busy activities of his life. After a short
period of employment with this bank, he left to associate himself with the
Hartford Trust Company, in the capacity of treasurer. Here he remained
for about a year and a half, but in the meantime the bank, unwilling to part
with his services, ofifered him the position of cashier as an inducement for
him to return. This he finally determined to do, and in 1871 assumed the
duties of this responsible office, filling them in an eminently satisfactory
manner for a period of twenty years. In the meantime the name of the
institution had been changed and it had become the American National
Bank, with the late Rowland Swift, who had preceded Mr. Root as cashier,
the president. On December 19, 1883, Mr. Root was elected president of the
Farmers' and Mechanics' National Bank of Hartford, an office which he
held until his death, over a period of above twenty-six years. The Farmers'
and Mechanics' Bank has since that time become consolidated with the
Hartford National Bank. Mr. Root's great knowledge of banking and his
general business acumen were invaluable to the institutions he was asso-
ciated with, and gave him, as president of the Farmers' and Mechanics'

6o Slobn (2JiI6ctt Koot

National Bank, a very prominent and influential position in financial circles,
not only in Hartford, but generally throughout the State. This was greatly
increased by his connection with many important financial and industrial
concerns in the capacity of director. Among these were the Security Com-
pany, and the Mechanics' Savings Bank, of which he was a trustee, and the
Spring Grove Cemetery Association, of which he was at dififerent times a
director, treasurer and president.

Mr. Root's activities were very far from being measured by his business
interests, however great and important as these were. There was, indeed,
scarcely an important movement of any kind going on in the city with which
he was not connected. While by no means the conventional politician, he
exerted a strong and wholesome influence upon the political situation in
Hartford. He was a strong believer in the principles and policies of the
Republican party, and an observer in a large way of the political issues in
the country, but he did not identify himself with the local organization of
his party to any extent, preferring to remain quite free from partisan influ-
ence in his political course. When, however, it became necessary in the
year 1888 for the Republicans to nominate a strong candidate for mayor of
Hartford, Mr. Root's prominence and personal popularity made him easily
the most available candidate and he was offered the nomination. Although
his aspirations lay by no means in the direction of public ofiice, and though
he valued highly his independence as a private citizen, yet he would not say
no to the obviously popular demand made for him by his fellow citizens. His
campaign was a notable one against the Democratic candidacy of C. M.
Joslyn, whom he defeated by a vote of three thousand, five hundred and
sixty-two against three thousand, three hundred and five. Mr. Root suc-
ceeded Morgan G. Bulkeley as mayor of Hartford and served his fellow citi-
zens in that capacity for two years, doing much that was eminently for their
advancement during that time. He was greatly interested in the cause of
public education, and in 1891, after his term as mayor had expired, was
elected a member of the High School Committee and served thereon for four
years. At the time of the agitation for the bridge across the Connecticut
river, John Gilbert Root was one of its strongest advocates, and when the
Connecticut River Bridge and Highway District Commission was formed in
1895, he was made a member, attending every meeting of the body which
his health permitted. At the time of the dedication of the bridge in October,
1908, he took an active part in the ceremonies and the three days festivities,
deriving great pleasure from them, for he felt a strong civic pride in the
possession of the splendid structure and the great improvements which
accompanied its opening on the east side of the river.

Mr. Root was all his life intimately identified with the military organi-
zations in Connecticut. He joined the Union army in the Civil War and
served through that momentous conflict as captain of Company B, Twenty-
second Regiment of Connecticut Volunteers. After the close of the war he
returned to his adopted city, and continued his association with the military
organizations there. After the death of Colonel George S. Burnham, who
had held the office of president of the association formed by the Twenty-
second Regiment, Mr. Root took his place as life president, and, as the title

3Io[)n (g)fI6ettiaoot 6i

implies, still held the office at the time of his death. He was for a number
of years a member, and later a veteran, of the First Company of the Govern-
or's Foot Guard, and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Veteran
Corps. He was a member of the Hartford City Guard and later a veteran
of that body. He was a member of the Robert O. Tyler Post, Grand Army
of the Republic, and for many years a trustee of its relief fund, and he was
also a member of the Army and Navy Club.

It would seem enough to tax the energies of any man, what has been
enumerated above as the various departments of the life of the community
in which Mr. Root participated. But his interests were of the broadest, his
sympathies the most inclusive, and there were but few things that went on
which possessed any real value to the community at large or any group of its
members that he did not have a hand in. He was a conspicuous figure in the
social world in Hartford, and a member of prominent clubs, but perhaps that
which interested him most in this direction and claimed most of his attention
was his membership in the Masonic Order, in which he was very prominent.
He was, indeed, one of the best known Masons of the State. He became a
member of Hartford Lodge, No. 88, Free and Accepted Masons, as early as
December 19, 1859, and eight years later was made its worshipful master,
and at the time of his death was the oldest past master in Connecticut. He
was also a member of the Actual Past Masters' Association of the Masonic
District of Hartford, Connecticut. He was grand treasurer of the Grand
Lodge of Connecticut, Free and Accepted Masons, from January 19, 1882, to
January 15, 1896, when he resigned from that honorable but responsible
ofifice. He was also a member of the Pythagoras Chapter, Royal Arch
Masons, and of the F. Walcott Council of the Royal and Select Masters, and
of the Washington Commandery, Knights Templar, in which he was
knighted, March 29, 1861, and of which he became the eminent commander
in 1869, and at the time of his death was the senior past commander thereof.
He was chosen grand commander of the Grand Commandery of Connecticut
in 1875, and lived to be the senior past grand commander. He was a mem-
ber of the Charter Oak Lodge of Perfection; the Hartford Council, Princes
of Jerusalem, and the Cyrus Goodell Chapter of Rose Croix. He was also
a member of the Connecticut Sovereign Consistory, Supreme Princes of the
Royal Secret, of Norwich, and received the thirty-third degree on September
18, 1894.

Mr. Root married, December 12, 1876, in Hartford, Isabella S. Camp, a
daughter of Joseph and Clarissa Camp, of that place. Mrs. Root survives
her husband.

The religious affiliations of Mr. Root were with the Pearl Street Con-
gregational Church, of which he became a member in 1858. He was an
ardent worker in the cause of the church and of religion generally, and
materially aided in the support of the many benevolences connected with the
congregation, and at the time of his death was a member of the prudential
committee.

John Gilbert Root was undoubtedly one of the most active citizens of
Hartford, and one of the most public spirited during his life in that city. His

62 31oftn (gjlfaett Koot

strong sense of justice, his sincerity, and unimpeachable integrity in all
public dealings, gained him the admiration of all his fellows, and his aflfabil-
ity and frankness of manner, his lack of ostentation, and open-hearted
friendship for all, won him no less surely their affection. Despite his amaz-
ing activity which seemed to embrace all that the city interested itself in,
he was nevertheless one of the most domestic of men, loving his home and
the society of his family and intimate friends, as that could be enjoyed on
his own hearth. He was also a great and wide reader, and possessed of the
delightful culture and refinement which seems the wellnigh universal
accompaniment of the lover of books. In all circles where his face was
known, from the family fireside to the executive building of the city, high
and low, rich and poor, his death has left a gap impossible to fill and difficult
to forget. The whole community, indeed, feels keenly the loss of one who
labored so earnestly and effectively, and who accomplished so much for its
advancement.

©liber C. Bmiti), ifl. M.

^HERE is something that appeals to the popular imagination
as intrinsically noble about the adoption of a profession the
object of which is the alleviation of human suffering, such,
for instance, as medicine, especially where, as in this case,
the sacrifice of many of the comforts and pleasures which
men count so highly is involved. When in addition to this,
however, the task is not only voluntarily chosen but carried
out in the most altruistic spirit and in the face of difficulties quite special
and peculiar, the circumstances rise toward the heroic and the sincere
admiration of all is claimed. Such was the case in a high degree in the life
of Dr. Oliver C. Smith, of Hartford, Connecticut, whose death in that city
on March 27, 191 5, deprived the whole community of a friend and bene-
factor.

Dr. Smith was born November 29, 1859, in the city that all his life has
been the scene of his energetic and invaluable career, a son of William B. and
Virginia (Thrall) Smith, old residents there. He attended the West Middle
School and the Hartford High School where he gained his general educa-
tion, and afterwards took a course in the Hannum Business College to pre-
pare himself for the serious business of life. It was in a measure an accident
that his attention became directed to medicine as a career, and an unfor-
tunate accident Dr. Smith doubtless regarded it at the time of its occur-
rence. This was nothing less than a serious illness which completely pros-
trated him at the age of nineteen years and just when he was ambi-
tious to make a beginning in life. During this illness he was under the care
of Dr. James H. Waterman, a well-known physician of Westfield, Massa-
chusetts, who, perceiving the youth to take a keen interest in medicine,
encouraged him to look further into the matter and gave him his advice to
choose it as a career. His interest being a very real one, the young man took
the advice to the extent of entering Dr. Waterman's office, where he studied
for a period of eighteen months. By the end of that time he had seen enough
of the situation to have made up his mind very definitely on the subject, and
accordingly in the year 1880 he matriculated at the Long Island Medical
College. Here he applied himself with an ardor that was characteristic,
and soon won the regard of his instructors and professors, as well as of the
student body. He won many honors during his years of study here, being
the president of his class, winning the Atkinson prize and standing third in
general marks out of a class of eighty. While in the second year of his
course he won a competitive examination which entitled him to the position
of ambulance surgeon, and he also acted as substitute interne in the Long
Island General Hospital during the same period. How earnest he was in the
pursuance of his career may be seen in the fact that in the vacation of 1881,
instead of giving the time to recreation, he sailed on board the steamer
"City of Para" to Rio de Janeiro as surgeon. After his graduation he at once
began practice, at first in the ofiice of Dr. Jonathan Curtis, of Hartford, and

64 miMei C ^mitft

later independently. He was one of those rare physicians who, to an un-
usual technical knowledge, add a keen intuition into the nature and signifi-
cance of symptoms, so that he was an eminently successful diagnostician
and quickly built up a large private practice. He was a man of too much
skill, however, to be allowed to remain entirely in private work, the more
especially as his interest turned chiefly to surgery, skill in which is so
greatly in demand in public medical institutions. When the St. Francis
Hospital was formed he became a member of the surgical staff, where he
remained until two years later, when he began his association with the
Hartford Hospital, which continued until the time of his death. Besides this
connection he was consulting surgeon of the Litchfield County Hospital, the
Middlesex County Hospital, the New Britain General Hospital and the
Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. He was also
greatly interested in the Charter Oak Hospital in Hartford, and it is not a
little to his efl^orts that the success of this institution is due. During his
career on these several staffs, and in the extensive private practice which he
never gave up, Dr. Smith gained the reputation of being one of the foremost
surgeons in the State and was regarded as a leader in his profession not
merely by the laity, but by the brilliant men of that profession as well. In
June, 1914, he received a very welcome tribute by the conferment upon him
by Yale University of the honorary degree of Master of Arts. He was
president of the Connecticut Medical Society and a member of the county
and city societies, as well as of the American Medical Association. He was
also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He was also appointed
surgeon-general of Connecticut by Governor Henry Roberts and held that
office during the latter's administration.

Dr. Smith married, October 22, 1886, Clarabel Waterman, of Westfield,
Massachusetts, a daughter of the Dr. Waterman who first turned his atten-
tion to medicine and in whose ofiice his earliest studies were prosecuted.
Mrs. Smith's death occurred in 1896. To them were born two children,
twins: Oliver Harrison Smith, and Clarabel V. Smith, now Mrs. Paul M.
Butterworth, of Hartford. To the Butterworths have been born two chil-
dren, Virginia and Oliver Butterworth.

Such are, in brief, the principal events and facts in connection with Dr.
Smith's career, but, though they thus formally sketch that career, they can
in no wise give an idea of the great value of his life to the community.
Rising to the head of his profession as a surgeon, his life was one long
record of self-abnegation and the neglect of his own affairs for those of
others. Careless of his own health in his campaign for that of his fellows,
nor did he consider his pecuniary advantage any more, his services being as
free to the poorest as to those of wealth. It was during the last three years
of his life, however, that the courageous, self-sacrificing nature of Dr. Smith
was most conspicuously shown. It was during this period that he suffered
from the disease that finally proved his death, and which is supposed to have
been induced in the first place by his having become infected during the
course of an operation performed by himself. Though from the outset Dr.
Smith realized his peril, he never hesitated in the performance of his duties,
but proceeded to fulfill them as calmly as though he were not himself

mi'oet €♦ ^mitb 65

threatened. He did not even complain to those nearest and dearest to him
so that, although the progress of his trouble was most painful, no one fully
realized what was taking place. At length, upon returning from the Inter-
national Conference of Surgeons held in London in 1913, at which he had
read an original treatise, he confided his case to Dr. William Mayo, a friend
and one of the foremost surgeons of the world. Dr. Mayo examined him but
discovered that his case was beyond even his skill. His interest apparently
undampened. Dr. Smith returned to his duties, and though for many months
he was unable to touch any solid nourishment, continued to perform them
with unabated good judgment and skill up to within three weeks of his
death. There were few men so deeply mourned in that region when at last
the sad event occurred, and but few whose memory received so many testi-
monials of respect and afifection. The local press joined in a chorus of
praise of his virtues and his invaluable services, and his fellow members of
the profession throughout the State were not less unanimous. The will left
by Dr. Smith is characteristic of the large heart and wide sympathies of the
man, a large portion of his estate being left to medical charities and other
philanthropic causes. It would be impossible even to notice here all the
tributes that were paid his memory by his confreres, much less to quote them
with any degree of completeness, yet there are a number which can scarcely
be passed over, and which may furnish an appropriate ending to this brief
sketch by illustrating at first hand the feelings that his associates bore him.
A number of such tributes were collected in the daily press and it is from this
source that the following selections are made. The "Hartford Daily
Courant" published a long obituary article headed "Hartford's great sur-
geon. Dr. O. C. Smith, is dead," in the course of which the following
appeared:

If there is any one thing that the life of Dr. Smith shows, aside from the example
that his skill has set to other surgeons and physicians, it is the lesson of his courage.
This is a trait that was with him from the beginning of his career, when, as a boy, he
decided to become a doctor and surmounted all the obstacles that poverty and poor
health could put in his way. And it was a trait that was brought to its finest essence in
his last years.

Of his professional associates the following examples will serve as
typical. The distinguished physician. Dr. E. Terry Smith, said of him:

Dr. Oliver C. Smith had the most unselfish, sympathetic, self-denying nature that I
have ever known. He lived entirely for others and the memory of his life of devotion
to his profession and loyalty to his friends will be cherished by all who knew him as a
most precious possession. His unbounded courage and resignation during the last three
years have been an inspiration to all with whom he came in contact.

Dr. Frederick Crossfield had this to say :

The death of Dr. Smith comes as a great shock. Hartford has lost not only a great
citizen but a genial gentleman and a great surgeon. No matter where one met him, at
the hospital at the medical society, on the street or elsewhere, he always had a whole-
hearted greeting and a kind word.

Dr. Edward B. Hooker said in part:

CONN-5

66 ffl)Uiaec €♦ ^mltft

Dr. Smith's great ability is so widely known and his reputation is so firmly estab-
lished that I need hardly speak of the professional side of his character. I regard him as
one of the foremost surgeons not only of this State, but of the entire country. It is,
however, of the man I would speak— the strong, gentle, patient, kindly man, bringing
healing with his skillful hands and courage with his sympathetic, cheerful spirit. * * *
His was a rich life, rich in high aspirations, rich in achievement, rich in the spirit in
which it has now entered upon a new life.

Dr. Walter R. Steiner said of him :

The profession in Connecticut feel that they have lost a friend whose sympathetic,
kindly ways not only endeared him to all the patients with whom he came in contact but
to all the physicians as well. The interest he showed in raising the standards of the
medical profession in Connecticut and the efforts which he made for that purpose will be
long remembered.

We yield to nature's tear and sigh

But grief before our faith recedes ;
The true physician does not die.

He lives in comrades' hearts and deeds;
His dauntless soul no fears appall,

He knows how frail is human breath :
So one by one her warriors fall.

Yet life is victor over death.

One of the most eloquent and true tributes was that of the Rev. Dr.
John Coleman Adams, who said in the course of an address at the funeral
service:

The great asset of any community is the manhood of its citizens. It may boast of
its artificers, its builders, its traders, its financiers, but it forgets all that they have done
to remember what they are. There is something finer in a man than in anything that he
says or does. * * * Our friend was a great surgeon, his skill and his judgment and his
initiative were of incalculable value to his fellow-men. But they were only incidental to
the greater traits that he was acquiring as he wrought at his profession, the things that
cannot be shaken — courage, fidelity, devotion, sympathy, service and love. These were
the fruits of the greater business in which he was engaged — the business of living.
* * * But this man confirmed in his living that line of Bayard Taylor's —

The bravest are the tenderest
The loving are the daring.

^cc^Ce.^'Z^ &'^o-/^ ^^ <^ (^-^-^^^

Caleb 3(acbson Camp

HE type which has become familiar to the world as the suc-
cessful New Englander, practical and worldly-wise, yet
governed in all afifairs by the most scrupulous and strict
ethical code, stern in removing obstacles from the road, yet
generous even to the enemy, is nowhere better exemplified
than in Caleb Jackson Camp, in whose death on June 19,
1909, Winsted, Connecticut, lost one of its most prominent
citizens, and a figure which carried down into our own times something of the
picturesque quality of the past. The successful New Englanders of the past
generation, men who were responsible for the great industrial and mercan-
tile development of that region, enjoyed, most of them, the juncture in their
own persons of two sets of circumstances, calculated in combination to pro-
duce the strong character by which we recognize the type. For these men
were at once the product of culture and refinement, being descended often
from the best English stock, and yet were so placed that hard work and
frugal living were the necessary conditions of success and livelihood itself.

Such was the case with Mr. Camp, who on both sides of the house was
descended from fine old English families whose record in the '"New World"
had maintained the high standard they already occupied. On his father's
side the line runs back to Sir Thomas Parsons, of London, and to one Alder-
man Radclifife. of "London Town," a well known figure in his day and gen-
eration. In the maternal line the first traceable ancestor was Sir Thomas
Stebbins, baronet, of England. Elder John Strong of Northampton was an
ancestor on both sides, and both sides have a fine Revolutionary record. Mr.
Camp's grandfather, Moses Camp, was a soldier in the Nineteenth Continen-
tal Regiment under Colonel Webb, and with his company commanded by
Captain Bostwick, took part in the famous crossing of the Delaware at
Trenton, on the evening of Christmas Day, 1776, when Washington accom-
plished his brilliant coup in the face of the English army. A great-grand-
father of Mr. Camp was Lieutenant Samuel Gaylord of the Seventh Con-
necticut Regiment, and a great-uncle on the maternal side was General
Giles Jackson, General Gates' chief of staff. Mr. Camp's parents were
Samuel and Mercy (Sheldon) Camp, residents of Winsted, Litchfield
county, Connecticut.

Caleb Jackson Camp was born in the town of Winchester, June 12, 1815,
and spent the first fifteen years of his life on his father's farm. During this
time he attended the local common school, gaining what a bright and alert
brain could from the somewhat rudimentary education offered there, and
later supplementing this with two years at the village academy. After com-
pleting his studies in this institution, Mr. Camp left the parental roof, and
removing to the neighboring place, Winsted, secured a position as clerk in
the general store of Lucius Clarke. Mr. Camp's coming to Winsted and
engaging in the mercantile business were for life, and he never changed the
one as his place of residence or the other as his occupation. A capacity for

68 Caleb Jackson Camp

hard work and unusual quickness in mastering detail, together with a
pleasant manner and the willingness and even desire to do his best in his
employer's interests, quickly gained recognition for him, and after only four
years, when he was but nineteen years of age, he was taken into partnership
by Mr. Clarke and given a voice in the conduct of the business. Upon the
retirement of Mr. Clarke later, the firm became known as M. & C. J.
Camp, and carried on the same business successfully for many years,
becoming a factor in the life of Winsted in more ways than one. It quickly
grew under the able management of Mr. Camp until it became the largest
and most prosperous house of the kind in Litchfield county. Indeed, so
great grew its reputation, not merely for successful business methods, but
for the probity and honesty with which its aflfairs were managed, that par-
ents anxious for their sons to engage in the mercantile life strove to have
them serve their apprenticeship in the establishment, which might be
regarded as a sort of industrial training school for the region. But it is not
alone in this manner that the firm of M. & C. J. Camp contributed to the
development of the town. It reached out, or rather Mr. Camp reached out
through its instrumentality, beyond the limits of the mercantile business to
the control and operation of many enterprises which were of great value in
building up the town. Such was the case of the Union Chair Company of
Robertsville, which was owned and managed by the Camp firm for thirty-
five years. Another of Mr. Camp's ventures, engineered through the firm,
was the construction of the first brick building block in Winsted, an invest-
ment which proved highly lucrative. A part of this enterprise was the build-
ing and fitting out of a large public auditorium in this block, which was not
the least successful feature, remaining, as it did, the largest and most popu-
lar hall in Winsted for a number of years. It was Mr. Camp also who was
instrumental in introducing stone sidewalks in Winsted, and his firm organ-
ized the town's first gas company. But he did not confine his attention to
home enterprise exclusively. He was interested in western industry and a
great believer in the development of that vast region. The State of Minne-
sota especially engaged his attention and in 1874 he organized and founded
the Winona Savings Bank in the Minnesota town of that name. The insti-
tution is now a thriving one, Mr. Camp remaining a trustee for some thirty
years. The Winona institution was not the only bank in the organization
of which Mr. Camp had a hand. He was one of the twenty-two incorpora-
tors who in i860 founded the Winsted Savings Bank and was a director
until his death, he surviving the others by more than thirteen years. He was
one of those elected directors of the Hurlbut Bank of W^insted upon its
organization in 1857, an office which he continued to hold until his death.
He was president of the Connecticut Western Road, and during his term of
office the stock advanced one hundred per cent.

Besides the many business ventures in which Mr. Camp was engaged
he was closely associated with many other departments of the life of the
community. He was greatly interested in the political issues which at that
time agitated the country, and was a firm adherent of the principles of the
Republican party. He was a devoted member of the Congregational church,
and most active in the work of the congregation. He contributed substan-

€aleb 3iacb0on Camp 69

tially to the support of the many benevolences connected with the church
and to its advancement generally. He also gave much of his time to the
temperance cause in Winsted. At his death he left a fund of twenty-five
thousand dollars to be used in bettering the condition of people who had
met with reverses after having seen better times.

Mr. Camp's personality was well expressed in his appearance. The
large, well developed head, the clear and candid eye, the firm mouth,
bespoke their analogues in his character. There was much to suggest the
gentleman of the old school in both looks and manners, and the coutesy of
the one and the uncompromising firmness of the practical man of the world
fittingly complemented and modified each other. During the many years of
his residence in Winsted he was looked up to as few other men in the com-
munity; with respect for the unimpeachable integrity, the clear-sighted
sagacity, and strong public spirit that marked him, but with aff"ection also
for his tact in dealing with men, his spontaneous generosity, and the demo-
cratic attitude he maintained towards his fellowman, which made him easy
of approach and appreciative in listening to the humblest. There is many a
man in Winsted to-day who has good occasion to remember these traits as
Mr. Camp showed them, many a man whose start in life was assured by the
generous assistance, the kindly advice of this worthy man.

Mr. Camp was married, May 22, 1839, to Mary Beach, a native of Win-
sted, and a daughter of the Rev. James Beach, for thirty-six years the pastor
of the Congregational church in that place. They were the parents of five
children, three of whom survive their parents. They are Mary Mehitable,
now Mrs. Hermon E. Curtis, of Redlands, California; Augusta, now Mrs.
Franklin A. Resing, of Winona, Minnesota, and Ellen Baldwin, of Win-
sted. The two other children, James and Anna, died very young. Mrs.
Camp died December 18, 1880, and on November i, 1883, Mr. Camp married
Sarah M. Bovd, of Waldoboro, Maine.

i&urton iBonlt} iSrpan

• URTON GOULD BRYAN, in whose death, May 20, 191 1, the
city of Waterbury, Connecticut, lost one of the most promi-
nent of her citizens, and the banking world of Connecticut a
most conspicuous figure, was a member of an old New Eng-
land family which for many generations has held a respected
place in the regard of Milford and the surrounding region.
Indeed, his emigrant ancestor was one of those that founded
the old town in early colonial days. Alexander Bryan came from England
in 1693 and with several other settlers purchased the site of the present town
of Milford from the Indians. The price paid for this concession was, we are
informed by the ancient records, six coats, ten blankets, one kettle, twelve
hatchets and hoes, two dozen knives and one dozen small glasses. Mr.
Bryan's father was Edward Bryan, a farmer of Litchfield county, Connec-
ticut, in the region of Watertown. The elder Mr. Bryan was well known in
the community for his upright life and high sense.

Burton Gould Bryan was born September 2j, 1846, in Watertown, Con-
necticut, and spent the first eighteen years of his life on his father's farm,
gaining there that splendid training which was once the lot of a large pro-
portion of the youth of America, and of which nothing yet discovered can
quite take the place, not even "higher education." Of the advantages of the
latter Mr. Bryan was quite innocent, the schooling of which farmers' boys
could avail themselves being in that day and generation decidedly meager.
Nevertheless the youth grew up with abundant ambition, and the bright wits
and steadfastness of purpose to realize it. Indeed, he was typical of so many
men bred in that region and age, men who decided in mere childhood upon
some career, and never wavering, bending all circumstances to their pur-
pose, finally realized their early hopes. In the case of Mr. Bryan the career
was banking. While still a boy attending school and doing light work on
his father's farm he settled it in his own mind that he would be a banker,
and to this end he marshalled all his powers and resources. When eighteen
years of age he managed to get three months' study at the Eastman Business
College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and after this rather slight prepara-
tion he entered upon the career which was eventually to raise him to the
office of bank president and make him one of the powers in the Connecticut
business world. His first position was with a real estate concern in Water-
bury, which gave him employment as a bookkeeper, and to this city he
removed and there began a residence which was to continue during the
greater part of his life. Leaving the real estate company Mr. Bryan next
found employment with the Naugatuck Woolen Company in the same
capacity, that of bookeeper, where he remained for a few years. His next
move was a long way from home, but it was into the desired line of work.
The skill and ability which he displayed in his comparatively humble posi-
tion of bookkeeper began at length to win him recognition, and he received
an oflfer from the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company of Wilmington,

O^Xi^^*^^^^- C^ CzJJ^

ISutton ©ouID 'Btpan 71

North Carolina, to become its cashier. Mr. Bryan accepted, but did not stay
a great while in the South, returning to Waterbury to take the position of
teller in the Manufacturers' National Bank of that city. At length, with a
number of other men prominent in banking circles, Mr. Bryan set on foot
the movement to organize the Fourth National Bank of Waterbury, and at
length had the satisfaction of seeing his project triumphantly begun. He
hrst took the office of cashier of the new concern, but in 1889 was chosen
president, an office which he held until his death. His connection with the
banking world was not limited to this one concern, however. In addition
thereto he held the position of secretary in the Colonial Trust Company,
and served on the directorates of a number of important financial and indus-
trial institutions.

Besides his business connections Mr. Bryan took an active part in many
other departments of the community's life. He was particularly interested
in the conduct of public afifairs, and exercised a considerable influence in
local politics, though he made and adhered strictly to the rule not to accept
any public office, a rule which he but twice departed from, once when he
served for a time as clerk of the Board of Common Council, and again when
he was elected town treasurer for two years. He was a prominent figure in
the social life of Waterbury and in fraternal circles there, and a member of
many orders and clubs. Among these may be named the Royal Arcanum
and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was also a member of the
Masonic order and had received the thirty-second degree in the Scottish
Rite and held every position up to the commandery. In spite of his many
and onerous duties Mr. Bryan found time to engage in outdoor life and
exercise, which he enjoyed and held to be essential as a relaxation from the
tension of business. He was especially fond of golf and belonged to the
Waterbury Golf Club. His religious affiliation was with the Congregational
Church, and he was a faithful member of the Second Church of that denomi-
nation in Waterbury, aiding eft'ectively in the work of the congregation and
materially supporting the many benevolences connected therewith.

Mr. Bryan married, April 14, 1868, Fannie K. Peck, of Watertown. To
them were born two children, of whom one, a son, Wilbur Peck Bryan, is
now living. Mr. Bryan, Jr., has followed in the footsteps of his father and
entered the banking business, in which he is now treading the high road to
success, and already holds the office of cashier in the Fourth National Bank.
He married Agnes Smith, of Waterbury, and they are the parents of two
children, a son, Alexander, and a charming daughter. Helen Bryan.

ilKltles ammi Cuttle

DEALS and standards change from age to age, from epoch to
epoch, one might almost say from year to year, and a world
which but a brief period in the past was still devoted to the
general notion of aristocracy has now become frankly demo-
cratic and scorns what it once held sacred. Our own Amer-
ica was of course, one of the first among nations to accept
the new standards in this particular, and now, for over a
century, the United States has stood as the type of republican institutions
before the world. And yet, despite all changes of the kind, there is always a
core of the permanent in human ideals that perseveres even in the midst of a
reaction so violent as the post-Revolutionary hatred of aristocracy in this
country, so that even here, amid the new ways of life, a new aristocracy —
that of ability — found soil in which to flourish. Nowhere did this demo-
cratic aristocracy — if the phrase is permissible — display itself in more char-
acteristic garb than in the city of Hartford, Connecticut, where, indeed, the
virtues of both systems seemed to go hand in hand. Nowhere could be seen
the graces and amenities generally associated with a privileged class to
greater advantage than there, and nowhere could be found a more simple,
democratic attitude combined therewith. Many are the names of families
which from that day to this have maintained the beautiful traditions of
virtue and honor which have exerted so great an influence for good in the
growth and development of our nation.

Among these names none deserves a higher place than that of Tuttle
which, from the time of its founder, William Tuttle, who in the year 1635
landed in Boston, has handed down through several collateral lines the ster-
ling traits and abilities that from the first distingiiished its bearers. His
arms are described as follows: Azure, on a bend doubly cotised, a lion pas-
sant, sable. Crest. On a mount vert, a bird, proper, in the beak a branch of
olive. Motto, Pax. It is from one of these lines descended Joseph Tuttle,
a younger son of the above-mentioned William Tuttle that Miles Ammi
Tuttle, whose career forms the subject-matter of this sketch, was sprung.
He was of the seventh generation from the original William Tuttle, and
the son of Samuel Tuttle, who for many years took rank among the most
prominent merchants of Hartford. The great mercantile business in Hart-
ford, so long associated with the name of Tuttle, was founded by Samuel
Tuttle, who in the early part of the century began a trade in groceries, grass
seed and various supplies. He gradually specialized in grindstones, and it
was in this commodity that he eventually built up his great business. He
was married to Betsey Hotchkiss, a daughter of Isaac and Lydia (Fields)
Hotchkiss, of Cheshire, Connecticut. To Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle were born ten
children, as follows: Esther Rowe; Miles Ammi, mentioned at length
below; Samuel Hotchkiss, died in early youth; Sally, died in early youth;
Samuel Hotchkiss (2), died in early youth; William Frederick, of whom a
sketch appears in this work; Sarah Elizabeth, who married Dr. Gurdon W.

SAMUEL TUTTLF..

(Born 1773, died 1850)

Founder of the firm of S. Tuttle c^' Sons, Hartford, Conn.

Tuttle

fi©fles ammi Cuttle 73

Russell, and died July 16, 1871 ; Samuel Isaac and Reuel Hotchkiss, of both
of whom there appear sketches in this work.

Miles Animi Tuttle, the second child and eldest son of Samuel and
Betsey (Hotchkiss) Tuttle, was born December 21, 1802, in New Haven,
Connecticut. While still a mere child he accompanied his parents to Hart-
ford, when they took up their abode there, and it was with that city that his
whole life is associated. It was here that he grew to manhood and received
his education, and it was here that he first entered the business world in
which he was to experience so marked a success. By the time he was ready
to engage in business his father had established a reputation second to none
as a merchant, and was able to give a position in his own establishment to
his eldest son, of whom he was justly proud. Besides his connection with his
father's concern the young man was an adjuster for the ^Etna Fire Insur-
ance Company of Hartford, and also a director in the company, travelled
extensively about the country, thus laying the foundation of that great taste
for travel that in later life distinguished him. He was eventually admitted
as a partner in his father's firm, and in 1851, after the death of the elder man,
became its senior member, holding that position until his own death, Octo-
ber 26, 1858. He occupied a position of great influence in the business and
financial world of Hartford, and the mercantile trade which had already
reached such great proportions under his father's management grew still
larger under his. He continued his association with the .^tna Fire Insur-
ance Company also and was elected a director thereof, and he held a similar
position with the Farmers' and Mechanics' National Bank of Hartford for a
number of years. Among the other financial institutions with which he was
connected should be mentioned the Society for Savings, of which he was a
trustee. In spite of his great activity in this line, the interests of Mr. Tuttle
were far from being confined to the business world. He inherited his full
share of the public spirit of his ancestors, and identified himself with many
of the most important movements for the betterment of the community and
the advancement of the common weal. He was particularly interested in
religious work and was a devoted member of the Christ Episcopal Church of
Hartford and engaged actively in the work of the parish, teaching in the
Sunday school and otherwise assisting in the advancement of its objects and
ends. He was also a director of the Hartford Hospital and materially
assisted other important philanthropic causes.

Mr. Tuttle was a man of wide experience and general knowledge of the
world, a cultured man with an interest in all that was best in human knowl-
edge, and he stood as a type of enlightenment and cosmopolitanism in his
home community. His fondness for traveling has already been remarked,
and he journeyed to many parts of the world for his own pleasure, and it was
during a trip to Paris for his health that he met his death. He was buried in
the city of Hartford, December 22, 1858, where his name still stands among
those who have represented the best ideals of business and good citizenship.

?SatlUam Jlrciierttfe Cuttle

HE GAINING of great material success for himself and a
position of power and control in the business world of Hart-
ford, Connecticut, has been in no wise incompatible in the
case of William Frederick Tuttle, with the rendering of
great service to the community of which he was so distin-
guished a member prior to his death, February 22, 1895. To
those who actually witnessed his career with their own eyes
it appeared, indeed, that his personal interests were of secondary import-
ance, so much greater was the energy and time spent by him in affairs of
wider and more general interest. Preeminently a man of affairs he made his
activities subserve the double end of his own ambition and the public wel-
fare, activities so numerous and varied in their scope and character that it is
a matter of difficulty to think of any one of them as particularly his own.
Hartford was the scene of his active career and his memory is there held in
the highest respect and veneration by all those who knew, or even came into
the most casual contact with him, and by the community at large, which is
not insensible of the good influence which his example exerted and still
exerts. He was a scion of the Tuttle family of Connecticut, of which some
slight particulars have been given elsewhere in this work, and through
which he was related to many of the proudest New England names, from
which he inherited the sterling traits of mind and character which marked
him.

William Frederick Tuttle, the seventh child of Samuel and Betsey
(Hotchkiss) Tuttle, was born April 8, 1812, in Hartford, Connecticut, and
reared there. At first he attended a school kept by Miss Rebecca Butler,
on North Main street, next, the Center District School, and at the age of
twelve years became a pupil at the Literary School kept by Mr. George
Patten, from which he was graduated at the age of fifteen years, and then
commenced his business career as a clerk in his father's store, a connection
which was maintained until he had attained his majority. At this period
he became a member of the firm of S. Tuttle & Sons, dealers on a very exten-
sive scale in groceries, grass seed, gypsum and grindstones, making a
specialty of the latter commodity. This great business, which had been
established and operated by the business genius of his father, was well
known throughout the city, and returned a substantial fortune to one and all
of the partners. In the year 1850 the father died, and Mr. Tuttle continued
to conduct the business in association with his two brothers, Miles Ammi
and Samuel Isaac Tuttle, of whom sketches appear in this work. With
the death of the eldest brother. Miles Ammi Tuttle, in 1858, Frederick Wil-
liam Tuttle also withdrew from the business. This retirement did not mean
a withdrawal from business life generally, however, for Mr. Tuttle continued
many of the important associations he had formed and even entered into
others at this time. He succeeded his brother as director of both the JEArn.

^^^..^I^^^^^:^^^-**-*-

muiiam JFtcDetIck Cuttle 75

Insurance Company of Hartford and the Farmers' and Mechanics' National
Bank of the same city, holding these honorable offices thirty-seven years.

But it was not alone in business that Mr. Tuttle became prominent in
the community. There were but few departments of the city's life in which
he was not a conspicuous figure, politics being about the only exception, a
realm from which he voluntarily remained aloof. But in religious and phil-
anthropic work, in social life, and even in military circles, his name was well
known. He was affiliated with the Episcopal church, and a lifelong member
of Christ Church of that denomination in Hartford, holding for many years
the office of warden and vestryman, was a teacher in the Sunday school, and
did much active work for the advancement of both. He was a director of the
Hartford Hospital and the Retreat for the Insane, and auditor of the
accounts of the last-mentioned institutions. He held the rank of lieutenant
in the body of militia known as the Governor's Foot Guard, was a member of
the Veteran Association, and a member of the Hartford Volunteer Fire
Department. He also held membership in the Hartford Horticultural Soci-
ety, the Connecticut Agricultural Society, the Hartford Club, the Piscato-
rious Club of Hartford, and gave his political support to the Republican
party. For many years he was a subscriber to "The Hartford Courant." the
"Atlantic Monthly" and Littel's "Living Age." His favorite newspaper
was "The Boston Transcript." He was fond of the studies of history and
astronomy; his favorite novelist was Sir Walter Scott and his favorite poet
was James Russell Lowell. He was quiet and unassuming in manner, and
loved his home and family.

Mr. Tuttle was united in marriage with Sarah Ramsey, of Hartford,
on November i, 1838. Mrs. Tuttle was a daughter of Jonathan and Sarah
( Allyn) Ramsey, of Hartford, and a member of one of the oldest and most
honorable houses, both in this country and Great Britain. As early as the
year 1200 the Ramseys or Ramsays were well known in Scotland, and
through various collateral lines the present members of the family can trace
their descent from many of the greatest kings of antiquity, both in France and
England. The Ramsey coat-of-arms is thus described: An eagle displayed
sable, beaked and membered gules. Charged on the breast with an escutch-
eon of the last. Crest : A unicorn's head couped argent, maned and horned
or. Motto : Spernit periciila virtus. The founder of the line in this country
was Hugh Ramsay, who is known to have lived in Londonderry, New
Hampshire, as early as 1720. To Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle were born four chil-
dren: Sarah, deceased; Catherine, deceased; Grace, died January 31, 1883;
and Jane, who makes her residence in Hartford, where she is a prominent
figure in the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and in
the Connecticut Society of the Daughters of Founders and Patriots of
America.

It is a popular notion that the reward of merit is often withheld until
after the death of him who should receive it, and that recognition is only
accorded too late to be enjoyed. But this is but a poor compliment to the
perception of humanity at large which, as a rule, is far too keen not to both
note and reward such talents as tend to its own advantage. Certainly this

76

COilliam iFtcOericb Cuttle

is true of the intelligent and generously disposed people of this country, as
the lives of thousands of our men of talent and ability most admirably illus-
trate, and none better than that of the subject of this sketch. A normal,
wholesome life, typical of the virtues of his race, v^^ell filled with healthy
endeavor and the exercise of his faculties, he stands as an admirable example
of worthy success to all ambitious of the same, of a success won, not at the
expense of the rights and interests of others, but almost as an incident, a
byproduct of the pure act of living, which to him was in itself the great end.

g)amuel 3saac Cuttle

'HE INFLUENCE of a man of culture in a community is of
that subtle, intangible kind well-nigh impossible to gauge
or measure by ordinarily accepted standards. Here is noth-
ing definite to lay our yard-stick to, as it were, no record of
dollars amassed, of laws enacted, of unfortunates given
assistance, or of the thousand and one things that are the
pledges of other lines of accomplishment, whereby men cal-
culate the degree of their success. For in the case of culture its immediate
effect is often hardly realized even by those experiencing it, and its enlight-
ening, uplifting influence, even when strong enough to be directly felt, can
rarely be traced accurately to its source. Yet the influence is none the less
real because it is difficult to measure, and its result is often to be perceived
when least expected in some spontaneous expression of regard or respect
for the man who stands for its ideal, or in the loosening of some prejudice,
the surrender of some provincialism on the part of those who, through con-
tact with such an one, have imbibed something of his larger outlook While
the Tuttle family of Connecticut has distinguished itself in many depart-
ments of endeavor, while its name during the past century has been identi-
fied with many concrete achievements, and especially with one of the import-
ant mercantile enterprises of the city of Hartford, it is probably as exponents
of general enlightenment and culture that its members have exerted the
greatest influence upon the communities where they have resided. This
was conspicuously the case with Samuel Isaac Tuttle, whose name heads this
brief record, and whose career, successful in many things, was chiefly
noticeable for the kind of achievement just described. He was a son of Sam-
uel Tuttle and Betsey (Hotchkiss) Tuttle and was related on both sides of
the house to many of the oldest and most prominent families in the State.
His father was one of the best known merchants and business men in Hart-
ford during the first half of the nineteenth century and the founder of the
firm of S. Tuttle & Sons.

Samuel Isaac Tuttle was born December i6, 1819, in Hartford, Connec-
ticut. He passed his whole life in Hartford, where his father was engaged
in business during his youth, gaining there his education, attending the
excellent public schools of the city. Upon reaching the age of manhood he
was, like his brothers, taken into partnership in the firm of S. Tuttle & Sons,
and was engaged actively in this business for a number of years. The enter-
prise, already large at the time of the father's death, continued to still further
grow under the most capable management of Mr. Tuttle and his brothers.
Miles Ammi and William Frederick Tuttle. of whom sketches appear in this
work, until the three gentlemen came to be regarded as among the most
important factors in the business situation in Hartford.

On March 31, 1842, Mr. Tuttle was united in marriage with Louisa
Ramsey, of Hartford, a daughter of Jonathan and Sarah (Allyn) Ramsey,
of that city, and by this union allied the Tuttle family with some of the

78 Samuel 30aac Cuttle

oldest and most distinguished houses both in this country and abroad. To
Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle were born four children, as follows : i. Ellen, now Mrs.
D. Waldo Johnson, and the mother of one son. Waldo Tuttle Johnson, who
married Emma Crozier, of Philadelphia; they have four children: Ethel
Frances, deceased; Arthur Crozier; Sydney Guilbert, and Samuel Isaac Tut-
tle Johnson. 2. Louisa, died aged three years. 3. Alice Gertrude, who
resides in Hartford. 4. Samuel William, who married Anna E. Strong, a
daughter of Elsworth Strong, of Portland, Connecticut.

There are some men whose achievements are at once apparent on a
mere recitation of the events of their careers, but, as has already been sug-
gested in the introduction of this sketch, the method of recitation fails com-
pletely when the accomplishment is in the direction of mind and character
development rather than of material success. In the case of such men as
Mr. Tuttle, though they have done much, it is not so much what they have
done as what they have been that should be dwelt upon. As a man Mr. Tut-
tle will long be remembered by those who were fortunate enough to come
into contact with his vivid personality. Of a striking appearance and man-
ner he attracted at once those who had dealings with him, an attraction
which was speedily confirmed and transformed into admiration by the ster-
ling virtues which he exhibited. In the business world, in the many semi-
public movements with which he was identified, his conduct was in every
respect admirable, his integrity unquestioned, his wisdom always vindi-
cated. In all the private relations of life, also, his conduct might well serve
as a model, his domestic instincts being unusually strong and his faithfulness
to his social obligations generally exceptional. He was a wide reader, a
traveller of note, his taste in aesthetic matters was discriminating and all his
enjoyments wholesome and manly. His life may well serve as a type of the
good citizen, the devoted friend, the afifectionate father and husband.

ClitoartJ Baniel Steele

^HE death of Edward r3aniel Steele, of Waterbury, Connecti-
cut, on May 24, 1900, was a great loss to that city, where for
many years he was a conspicuous figure, both in the business
and industrial world and in that of politics and public affairs.
Although he was most closely identified with the life of
Waterbury, and resided there for the greater part of his life,
Mr. Steele was not a native of that city, nor, indeed, of Con-
necticut at all. His parents were Hiram and Nancy (Turner) Steele, mem-
bers of a New York State family, and residents of Lima in that State.

Edward Daniel Steele was born in Lima, New York, November 20,
1838, but accompanied his parents while still a mere child to Bloomfield,
where he passed the years of his childhood and early youth until he had
reached the age of eighteen. He received his education in the schools of that
place, but after completing his studies removed to Waterbury, Connecticut,
beginning a residence which was to continue the remainder of his life. He
secured a position with the Waterbury Brass Company, one of Waterbury's
great industrial concerns, and it speaks well for the stability of character
and persistence of purpose in the young man that he never, during his long
career, severed that connection, which covered a period of forty-two years.
His natural alertness of mind, his ability to apply practically the knowledge
which he picked up, together with his great capacity for hard work, soon
drew to him the favorable attention of his employers, and he was started
upon that series of promotions which finally placed him in the next highest
office within the gift of the company, and made him a power in the Connecti-
cut industrial world. In course of time he became the secretary and treasurer
of the concern, a double office which he held for a considerable period of
years, and was then elected vice-president and treasurer, continuing in this
post until his death. He was also made a director of the same company.
As his prominence in the financial circles grew, Mr. Steele extended the
sphere of his control and influence beyond the limits of any single institu-
tion. He became a stockholder in many industrial concerns, having an abid-
ing faith in the development of Waterbury's industries and the general
growth of the city. He served as director in many corporations both of
Waterbury and of Providence, Rhode Island, notably the Waterbury Sav-
ings Bank, and the Meriden and Waterbury Railroad Company, and was
vice-president of the latter as well.

Prominent as was Mr. Steele in the business world, he is perhaps even
better remembered as a man of aft'airs and a fearless exponent of the right as
he saw it, in the political activities of the region. He was a staunch mem-
ber of the Republican party, and a keen observer of the political issues agi-
tating the country during his life. His personal popularity together with
the position he occupied in the city, made him an ideal candidate for some
important office, a fact which the local organization of his party was not

8o aBDtoatD Daniel Steele

slow in perceiving. They accordingly offered him the nomination for State
Senator in the year 1896, and he was triumphantly chosen in the election
which followed, serving through the term of 1897.

Mr. Steele's activities were of a varied order, and his interests embraced
practically all the departments of life in the city. He was a well known
figure in the Waterbury social world, of which his refinement and unusual
culture made him an ornament, and he was a member in a number of clubs
and fraternities, notably the Sons of American Revolution, and the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he was a member of Nosahogan
Lodge, of Waterbury. Mr. Steele was a strongly religious man, and was
affiliated with the Episcopal church and was an active worker in its inter-
ests in Waterbur\. He was one of those who organized Trinity Church
and parish, and was a faithful member thereof, and a consistent attendant
at the services. The organization was accomplished in the year 1892, and
Mr. Steele was appointed a member of the first vestry, and in 1892 he was
elected junior warden. He always took an active part in the work of the
parish, and was a generous supporter of the many benevolences connected
therewith.

Mr. Steele was a man in whom the public and private virtues were
admirably balanced. He was regarded in the business world and, indeed,
in all his public relations as one whose principles were above reproach,
whose strict ideals of honor and justice were applied to every detail of his
business conduct, and in no wise compromised, by his unusual sagacity as a
business man. Nor was it only in his dealings with his business associates
that these characteristics were displayed. It was with his employees and
subordinates in the various concerns in which he exercised control that they
were perhaps most conspicuous. His courtesy and unfailing concern for
their welfare made him highly popular with them and established the esteem
in which he was held on the firmest kind of basis. In his private life these
virtues had their analogues. A quiet and retiring nature made him a strong
lover of home and domestic ties, and his unfailing geniality endeared him
to family and friends of whom he possessed many. His death at so early an
age as sixty-two years, while his vigor remained unimpaired and he was
still in the zenith of his usefulness, was felt as a loss not only by his imme-
diate and personal associates, but by the community at large.

Mr. Steele married, April 5, 1864, Sarah C. Merriman, a daughter of
Joseph P. Merriman, of Waterbury, Connecticut. To them were born two
children, who with their mother survive Mr. Steele. The elder was a daugh-
ter, Mary Elizabeth, who is now the wife of Roger Watkyns, of Troy, New
York, and the mother of two children, Steele and Edward S. Mr. Steele's
second child was a son. Dr. Harry Merriman Steele, who has devoted much
time to the study of his profession of medicine, both at home and abroad,
and especially at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; he is now a
practicing physician in New Haven. Dr. Steele married Elizabeth Kissam,
of Bridgeport, Connecticut, who bore him two children, Charlotte Merri-
man and Harrv Merriman Steele.

?12amt|)rcip ?»arner Bunbar

[NTHROP WARNER DUNBAR, in whose death, on Decem-
ber 31, 1912, Bristol, Connecticut, lost one of her worthiest
and most respected citizens, was a member of a very old
family which has held a most honorable place in the life of
both this country, where it has resided since early colonial
times, and in Scotland, where it had its origin. It is believed
that the name came originally from the ancient Scotch city
of Dunbar, which figured so prominently in the romantic history of that
country, throughout the long and troublous period of the wars with Eng-
land. The Dunbars of America are, it is believed, descendants of George,
Earl Dunbar, through the founder of the Dunbar family of Grange Hill, one
Ninian Dunbar, back to whom the line may be traced unbrokenly with the
exception of one insignificant gap, which every probability seems to render
negligible. This break occurs in the life of Ninian's son, Robert Dunbar,
born in 1630, of whom we lose sight for a time until Robert Dunbar turns up
a settler in Hingham, Massachusetts, in 1655, ^"d the immigrant ancestor of
the American line. From this Robert Dunbar the descent is direct to our
subject, who is of the eighth generation from him.

Robert Dunbar was followed by three Johns consecutively, which
brought the family down to the Revolution, the 3'oungest of the name having
five sons, all of whom fought in that momentous struggle. One of these was
Miles Dunbar, the great-grandfather of Winthrop Warner Dunbar. It was
in the life of Miles Dunbar that the family first wandered from the soil of
New England, when it removed to New York State and there took up its
abode for a time. In the following generation Butler Dunbar, the grand-
father of our subject, went still farther afield. Indeed, there was much of
the explorer and pioneer in his nature, and after living for a time in Pennsyl-
vania and Connecticut he traveled west and settled in Monroe township.
Mahaska county, Iowa, where he eventually died.

His son was Edward Lucius Dunbar, the father of Winthrop Warner
Dunbar, and a most prominent citizen of Bristol, Connecticut. Edward
Lucius Dunbar did not accompany his father to the West, but being taken
a fevvf years after his birth, which occurred in Springville, Pennsylvania, to
the town of Bristol, he there grew to manhood and continued to make it his
home the rest of his life. He was engaged in manufacturing clock springs
and trimmings and the steel frames used in the construction of the hoop-
skirt and crinoline. It was the former industry that formed the foundation
of the immense business since developed by his three sons. The hoop-skirt
manufactory was of course abandoned when taste decreed another style, but
during the continuance of the custom it was a most paying industry and
made Mr. Dunbar, Sr., a rich man. The present town hall of Bristol was
erected and donated to the town by him. and was popularly known as "Crin-
oline Hall" for a long period. Mr. Dunbar, Sr.. was married to Julia

CONN-Vol III_6

82 JiQintfjrop mntntt Dunliat

Warner, a native of Farmington, Connecticut, and a daughter of Joel and
Lucinda Warner, of that place. Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar, Sr., were the parents
of six children, as follows : Winthrop W., the subject of this sketch ; Edward
B., elsewhere mentioned in this work ; William A. ; three daughters, now
Mrs. W. W. Thorpe, Mrs. L. A. Sanford and Mrs. George W. Mitchell.

Winthrop Warner Dunbar, the eldest child of Edward Lucius and
Julia (Warner) Dunbar, was born February 25, 1841, in Bristol, Connec-
ticut, and there continued to make his home all his life. Up to the time of
reaching his seventeenth year he attended the local schools, and upon com-
pleting his studies entered his father's factory in Bristol. The Bristol plant
was where the springs and clock parts were manufactured, the hoop-skirt
mill being situated in New York City. It was to the latter that the second
brother was sent to gain his experience, but upon the going out of crinoline
he also entered the Bristol works. The third brother, William A. Dunbar,
though he had at first sought employment elsewhere, finally found his way
to the same place and, upon the death of their father, the three brothers
organized the firm of Dunbar Brothers to carry on the business. Although
a decidedly primitive establishment at the time the three brothers came into
control of its management, under their skillful direction it soon developed
greatly and by dint of installing machinery and keeping constantly abreast
of the time in all equipment, and by specializing strictly in small springs, a
business has been built up which takes its place as one of the most important
industries in that region so well known for its great industrial works. The
mills of Dunbar Brothers have now a capacity of many millions of springs
yearly.

While Mr. Dunbar was greatly interested in politics, and was an acute
observer of the issues agitating the country in his day, he never took an
active part in local politics and consistently declined offers of nomination
for numerous offices made to him by his party. He was a Democrat in prin-
ciple, and worked heartily for the advancement of the policies identified with
the party name, but ever in the capacity of a private citizen. He was, how-
ever, a prominent figure in social and fraternal circles in the town, and held
membership in many organizations. He belonged to the Stephen Terry
Lodge, No. 59, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Bristol; the E. L.
Dunbar Encampment, No. 32, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the
Royal Arcanum. Mr. Dunbar was an ardent member of the Congregational
church, having for many years faithfully attended its services and taken an
active part in the work of the congregation.

Mr. Dunbar was married. May 3, 1862, to Sarah Anna Wheeler, a native
of Griswold, Connecticut, where she was born June 3, 1840, and a daughter
of Oliver Lepenwell and Lydia Almira (Button) Wheeler, of that place.
Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar were the parents of three children, as follows: Charles
Edward, born November 18, 1865; Alice May, born April 13, 1868, married
Carl Virgil Mason, of Unionville, Connecticut, where he is a prominent real
estate dealer; Beatrice Estelle, born June 22, 1874, died August 29 of the
same year. Mr. Dunbar died in Bristol, Connecticut, December 31, 1912.

It seems appropriate to say here a few words concerning Charles Ed-
ward Dunbar, whose career gives so much promise for the future. He was

mimbtop mumet Dunftat

83

reared in Bristol, the town of his birth, attending" the local schools for the
elementary portion of his education and later attending the Williston Semi-
nary at Easthampton, Massachusetts. He then took a course in Hannum's
Business College at Hartford, from which institution he was graduated in
1887. He was then appointed to the position of superintendent in the firm
of Dunbar Brothers, and there exhibited his unusual business capacity to the
best advantage. He was married, July 2, 1889, to Elizabeth Bulkley Nott,
a native of Bristol and a daughter of William and Mary (Smith) Nott. To
them has been born one child, a son, Winthrop William Dunbar.

(ffiltUtam Sa. ©rtutt

'ILLIAM R. ORCUTT was during his life one of the most
distinguished citizens of Rockville, Tolland county, Con-
necticut, and to no one during its history does that town
owe more than to hirti. Mr. Orcutt was not a native of
Rockville, having been born in Stafford, Connecticut, a few
miles east of Stafford Springs, of a fine old Connecticut
family which had been resident in the State from Revolu-
tionary days. His parents were William and Eliza (Converse) Orcutt, the
former being a farmer and one of the pioneer foundrymen of that region.

William R. Orcutt was born May i8, 1824, and spent the early years of
his childhood in his native town, attending the district school, which like
most of such institutions in the rural parts, at that period, was an extremely
crude affair, where only the most elementary subjects were taught, and
where the birch was regarded as the best inducement to studious habits.
The lad was an ambitious one, however, and was by no means content with
the meagre facilities offered by this school, so he sought to increase his oppor-
tunities by every means in his power. He had a strong ambition to study
law, but he was one of a family of thirteen children, and his father found it
impossible to grant his desire. When only fourteen years of age he left his
father's farm and his studies, and made his way to the town of Windsor
Locks, where a maternal uncle, H. A. Converse, was the owner of a foundry.
With this relative the youth found employment and thus embarked in a
business in which he continued for a large portion of his life. He set himself
the task at once of mastering the detail of the industry, with such success
that as a youth of nineteen, after having been employed for but five years,
he was fully capable of running the whole establishment and directing the
work of the thirty-five or forty hands employed therein. He was promoted
to a responsible position where this direction became his duty, and he
remained in this capacity until he received an offer of a similar position with
a larger foundry in South Coventry. While employed in the latter place he
took advantage of the educational opportunities offered to the mill em-
ployees by Professor John Hall, and pursued his studies for some time under
that skillful and wise guidance. The ambition of Mr. Orcutt's life at this
time was to make himself free of employers of all sorts and strike out in busi-
ness for himself, and this by dint of hard work and careful economy he was
eventually enabled to do.

In 1847 he formed a partnership with Mr. Charles Hall, and the two
came to Rockville, where they established a foundry business under the firm
name of Orcutt & Hall. There had been some doubt in the minds of the
young partners as to the desirability of Rockville as a location for their new
plant, and their intention was originally merely to try the place before set-
tling definitely and for good. The period was one especially favorable to the
foundry business, and the new firm began to thrive from the start. It was a
time when the great industrial development of Connecticut had just gotten

>^-^

^flUam R. ©rcutt 85

under way, and mills and factories of all sorts were in course of construction
or in project for the near future. Under the circumstances it is not wonderful
that there should have been a great opportunity for those engaged in the
business chosen by Mr. Orcutt. To take advantage of that opportunity in
an adequate manner, and develop the industry in the face of a lively compe-
tition, was no such simple matter, however, and Mr. Orcutt's business acu-
men and his ability as a manager were called into requisition. He rightly
believed that only by the production of the very highest quality of work, and
the living up to the spirit as well as the letter of all contracts, could perma-
nent success be won, and consequently the firm of Orcutt & Hall came to
have the name of the manufacturers of the finest quality of foundry work
in the region, and their business grew accordingly. In course of time Mr.
Orcutt bought out his partner's interest in the business and continued it
alone with a very high degree of success. It had been his intention to remain
but a short time in Rockville. at the time of his first arrival in the place, but
to the change of plans which induced him to make it his permanent home a
number of factors contributed. The success of his business there was un-
doubtedly an important consideration in his new determination, but it is
doubtful if it was the first.

Rockville was a young and growing place and it was evident to one of
Mr. Orcutt's acute business sense that those who identified themselves with
this promising development would benefit as it increased. Especiallv was
this obvious in the case of real estate, which had already shown signs of an
upward tendency suggestive of great things to follow. Mr. Orcutt was far
too good a business man to neglect these opportunities, and it was not long
before he invested in Rockville property. Bound thus by this powerful
interest to the new place, Mr. Orcutt remained to superintend his new inter-
ests there, and thus became one of the most active real estate agents and
himself one of the largest owners in the town. His purchases of land were
made most judiciously and soon turned out to be a most paying investment,
nor was the advantage at all one-sided, since Mr. Orcutt was the most
public-spirited of men and took every occasion to develop his property in a
way which reacted most beneficially for the whole town. Shortly after his
arrival in Rockville, he purchased of John H. Martin, then a large property
owner in the region, the entire tract on East Main street, which fronts on
the canal, and which now forms the very center of Rockville's town site. At
that time, however, only the farseeing business man, such as Mr. Orcutt,
could have foretold its value, as it was somewhat to one side of the first
growth of the place and occupied by but two buildings. These were its
owner's, Mr. Martin, bakery, a small frame building, and an equally small
structure of the same sort, occupied as a wheelwright's shop. Mr. Orcutt's
forecast of the growth of Rockville was justified by the event, and he was
prompt to meet the growing demands for space and conveniences by erect-
ing up-to-date structures on the tract. Business buildings of many kinds, but
all of a type to bring credit on the town, were the result of his labors, and in
addition to this he set about building new and good roads, repairing old ones,
and generally opening up the neighborhood. Among the structures which
arose at his initiative were the handsome brick building since occupied by

86 mniiam E. Dtcutt

the Metcalf drug establishment and the Talcott grocery store, and the
group of buildings known as the "Monitor Block." He was, indeed, the
builder of a very large portion of the business district of Rockville. He
built the beautiful Terraces and also Central Park.

Up to the year i860 his operations included the purchase and sale of
real estate, but after that date the latter side of the transaction was discon-
tinued, and Mr. Orcutt merely rented his property, which had grown too
valuable for disposal. The management of this took up more and more of
his time as the density of the business population grew, and greater demands
for space and convenience arose, until at length he sold out his foundry busi-
ness to the late Cyrus White, and retired from participation in that industry
entirely. Among his enterprises was one in which he had the interest of the
town in view even more than his own, but which, in spite of that, he met
with much opposition. This was the construction and operation of the Rock-
ville railroad, one of his dearest projects, the responsibility for which he had
to shoulder well nigh alone at the outset. Out of his private pocket came
the entire expense of the original survey, and it was under his personal
supervision that the road was built and the rolling stock purchased. Once
in operation, however, and the advantage to the town patent to every eye,
the opposition ceased, and its champion was made its first superintendent,
and received the congratulations of the very men which before had opposed
him. Besides those already mentioned, Mr. Orcutt was associated with
many of the large financial and industrial enterprises, and occupied an
extremely influential place in business circles in the region.

But Mr. Orcutt's activities were by no means measured by his business
interests, however large and important these may have been. He was no
less ardent a worker in purely public movements than in those in which a
pecuniary advantage lay for him. He was the founder of the original volun-
teer fire department, and was instrumental in inducing all the leading men
of that time to join. He was made the first chief of the department, and
when the question of purchasing a fire engine came up he was sent to New
York City for the purpose. This was partly on account of his great interest
in the matter, and also because he was naturally very much of a mechanic,
and his judgment could be depended upon in the matter. The purchase
made, his interest in the engine induced him to remain for some time in the
city in order that he might witness the putting together of its parts and
thus gain an intimate knowledge of its construction and manner of use, a
knowledge which was of value later.

Mr. Orcutt was one whose broad sympathies and active mind led him to
take a deep and vital interest in the political issues of his time and in the
conduct of public affairs generally, both national and local. Originally he
was a member of the Whig party, his first presidential vote being cast for
Henry Clay, but with the founding of the Republican party he became a
member and was a faithful, though independent, believer in its principles
and policies thereafter. He was elected selectman in Rockville, and held
that office for twelve years to the great satisfaction of all his fellow towns-
men, political friends and foes alike, so much so, indeed, that they reelected
him again and again, his name often appearing as candidate on three party

mniiam H, SPrcutt 87

tickets. Mr. Orcutt's religious affiliations were with the Congregational
church, and in this as in all other matters with which he was connected he
was an unselfish and indefatigable worker.

Mr. Orcutt married, September 6, 1848, Frances L. Skinner, a daughter
of Nelson and Fanny (Skinner) Skinner, and a member of a prominent and
honored family of that name, the history of which extends back to pre-
Revolutionary days. Mrs. Orcutt was born in Vernon, Connecticut, Sep-
tember II, 1828, and survives her husband, still residing in the old family
home on East Main street, Rockville, with Mrs. William Francis Orcutt,
her daughter-in-law. Mrs. Orcutt, Sr., is a member of the Sabra Trumbull
Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. To Mr. Orcutt and her-
self was born one child, a son, William Francis Orcutt, a sketch of whom
follows.

William R. Orcutt's death occurred on May 15, 1882, from pneumonia,
and removed from Rockville one of the most important factors in its de-
velopment and progress. He was in the best sense of the phrase a self-made
man, and his success was based on those fundamental virtues of honesty and
integrity, without which it is never secure. There is an interesting and
characteristic story of him, as a boy, and his possession of nine pence, his
first capital. This modest sum he hoarded, adding gradually to it, until he
had sufficient to buy him a gun, whereupon he procured a fowling piece and
soon worked up a trade in game which in time made him independent. So
from small to large he slowly worked, pursuing the same policy all through
his life, until he had finally developed the great estate, now in the possession
of his family. But though he worked so steadily and consistently for this
purpose, he never compromised his ideals for its attainment, holding stead-
fastly all his life to the standard he had set himself.

lEiUtam JFrancis ©rcutt

ILLIAM FRANCIS ORCUTT, in whose death on March 25,
191 1, Rockville, Connecticut, lost one of its most highly
respected citizens, was a member of an old New England
family which for many generations held an honorable place
in the regard of the community. The two names, William
and Orcutt, are in combination a sort of inheritance among
the men of this family, there being at one time as many as
four generations living at once who could claim it. In the present case not
only our subject, but his father and grandfather, bore it, though in different
combinations. William Francis Orcutt was a son of William R. and Fran-
ces L (Skinner) Orcutt, the latter surviving both her husband and her son.
Mr. Orcutt was born in the town of Vernon, Rockville, Tolland county,
Connecticut, June 19, 1850, and with the exception of a few short periods
lived there all his life. He inherited the sterling character and virtues of his
father, and worthily took up the latter's work in and for Rockville, after the
death of the elder man. As a child and growing boy he lived in Rockville
and gained his education at the local public schools and the Munson Acad-
emy. As he grew into young manhood his health was somewhat feeble, and
after the completion of his schooling his father decided to send him abroad
for a period of travel in the hope of his regaining it. The elder man planned
to join his son after a time in Europe and complete with him a tour of the
countries there. As health for the youth was the prime object of the trip,
and time was no consideration, he embarked upon a slow sailing vessel,
promising himself benefit from the long ocean voyage. Fate was not slow
in seconding these attempts for a long voyage, and that with a vengeance.
The vessel shortly after sailing encountered storm after storm which drove
her so much out of her course that in time she lost track of her position
altogether and it was six weeks before she finally recovered herself. In the
meantime Mr. Orcutt, Sr., had taken a speedier craft, with the intention of
meeting his son abroad, but he arrived long before him, and being totally
unaware of what had befallen his ship, had to await in much anxiety his
arrival. It all turned out well in the end, however, the two meeting and
traveling all over Europe together, even taking in Egypt and spending nine
months abroad. Mr. Orcutt was nineteen years of age at the time of this
experience, which occurring at an extremely impressionable age, awakened
in him a powerful interest in other lands and peoples, and gave him a strong
taste for travel. Once in his later life he again gratified this taste by a trip
in Europe, this time in his mother's company. Among other things accom-
plished by the first journey was the renewal of his health in a great measure,
and upon his return he secured employment in the Rockville National Bank
at Rockville. He was highly gifted in mathematics, and devoted himself to
the practical but complex subject of accounting to such good purpose that
he became an expert accountant. His training in the Rockville bank was a
great aid in this work, his accomplishments in turn rendering him a very

mUUnm jFrancis SDrcutt 89

valuable adjunct to the institution. After a brief period spent in this service,
one of the ofificers of the bank proposed to the young man that he accom-
pany him to Paterson, New Jersey, where he intended joining another bank-
ing firm. This Mr. Orcutt decided to do, as the offer held out considerable
opportunity for advancement. There he remained for upwards of seven years
in the employ of the bank and undoubtedly had a brilliant career before him
in this field had not the failing health of his father, and the necessity for some-
one to supervise his great interests in Rockville, caused him to return. After
the death of the elder man in 1882, when only fifty-eight years of age, Mr.
Orcutt at once entered into the possession and control of these great prop-
erties, and thereafter spent his time in their management. The destructive
fire of 1895, which did such great damage in Rockville, did not spare the
property of Mr. Orcutt. who suffered a heavy financial loss thereby, many "
of the buildings standing on the property being destroyed. The property
was in the very center of the Rockville business district and included many
of the most important business blocks and individual office buildings in the
town. Of course in such a locality, a loss such as that occasioned by the fire
was merely temporary, and Mr. Orcutt set about rebuilding promptly. In
this operation he confined himself almost exclusively to substantial brick
business blocks of a few stories in height, and it is largely to him that Rock-
ville is indebted for the handsome yet dignified appearance of its business
district. Under the skillful direction of Mr. Orcutt and in response to the
general growth of the town, the estate increased greatly in value, until at the
present time it represents a large fortune to its owners. The property is
located for the most part on the south side of East Main street, and the west
side of Market street, and runs from the former thoroughfare to the canal,
so that it contains much of the most thickly peopled region of the city, where
the greatest demand for space exists, and as Mr. Orcutt carried out the
policy of his father, never to sell any portion of the estate, the large tract
remains intact and constitutes an unusual possession, a tribute to the far-
seeing and good business traits of two generations of the family.

Mr. Orcutt followed in the footsteps of his father politically. Deeply
interested in the political issues of his day, he was an intelligent observer of
the problems which claimed the country's attention, and was a staunch sup-
porter of the solutions of these problems offered by the Republican party.
He did not, however, take an active part in local politics as did his father,
and shrank from holding public office, preferring to exert such influence as
he could in his capacity of private citizen.

Mr. Orcutt married, September 25, 1884, Ella L. Brown, a daughter of
Jeremiah N. and Delia (Canin) Brown, of Palmer, Massachusetts. To Mr.
and Mrs. Orcutt were born two children, as follows: Mildred F., now the
wife of Professor F. T. Gilbert, of Hartford ; and Dorothy E., who now lives
with her mother and grandmother, Mrs. William R. Orcutt, in the old
Orcutt family home on East Main street. Mrs. William Francis Orcutt is
a woman of many admirable accomplishments. She occupies a prominent
position in the social world of Rockville and her charm as a hostess is pro-
verbial. She possesses a remarkable business ability also, the more unusual
since it is found in a woman whose training was naturally in other direc-

90 muiinm Jftancis ©rcutt

tions, and now conducts, with great skill and a very high degree of success,
the management of the great Orcutt estate, and the large real estate busi-
ness founded by Mr. Orcutt, Sr., and now descended to her through her hus-
band.

William Francis Orcutt was a man of the most sterling character. His
death, which occurred when he was but fifty-nine years of age, and at the
height of his powers, deprived the community of an influence at once great
and beneficent. This effect was, indeed, of that subtle kind which is more
the result of example than the direct fruit of striking deeds and works
accomplished, and which is, of course, much more difficult to measure and
gauge than the other. It is not, however, less potent nor less characteristic
in its action. His honor and integrity were unimpeachable, and in all his
business relations he maintained that high standard of justice and fair deal-
ing which his father had instituted. He realized the value of credit in busi-
ness, and made it his aim to preserve and increase the reputation of all the
institutions with which he was at any time associated, a policy which
resulted in their great good. Nor was he less scrupulous in the relations of
private life. He was one of those for whom the mere profession of a formal
religious belief is not sufficient. The moral principles which he held, he
strove to translate into the terms of common, every-day conduct, that they
might become a practical guide in life. His code of ethics was high and
strict, and even a little stern, but no one could call it harsh or Puritanic as
applied to anyone but himself. For other men and their shortcomings he
had the readiest charity and tolerance, a tolerance which won for him not
only the respect, but the affection of all those who entered into even the
most casual relations with him. It was in his home, however, that these
virtues found their most complete and graceful expression. There he was
surrounded by the society which he loved best, that of his own household,
and the intimate friends who formed a sort of larger family, and there he
was most easily and completely himself. Those qualities which drew men
to him were not of that external kind whose power flies almost as soon as it
is felt, but rather such as only served to confirm the initial affection into a
deep and abiding friendship. Thus it was that he possessed an unusually
large group of faithful friends, for whom he maintained an equal fidelity.
He was a man of great culture and a wide familiarity with life and the world
at large. His travels abroad had given him that breadth of outlook which is
so valuable to the man who deals in large interests in that it consists in a
knowledge of the motives and ways of men. He was one of those men who
mature slowly, but whose prime lasts indefinitely, and there is little doubt,
if death had not found him at so untimely an age, that the influence of his
personality would have assumed even larger proportions in the community
of which he was a member. As it is that community will miss it greatly and
find it impossible to replace.

^Satlbur iSrainarli JFoster

^HE death of Wilbur Brainard Foster, on March 20, 1906, re-
moved from Rockville, Connecticut, while still in the prime
of his strength and manhood, one of the most highly re-
spected and prominent citizens of that place, a successful
merchant and public man. He was a descendant of sturdy
old New England stock, his parents having been old resi-
dents of Monson, Massachusetts, and later moved to Tol-
land county, Connecticut. His parents were William Joseph and Mary
(Pufifer) Foster, the former establishing a successful clothing business in
Rockville, which since his death has been continued on a large scale by his
family, notably by Wilbur B. Foster.

Wilbur Brainard Foster was born March 31, 1853, on his father's farm
at Monson, Massachusetts, and there spent his childhood, attending the
local public schools, and later the Monson Academy there. He thus had the
benefit of that training in youth which has been the origin of the strongest
and wisest Americans, that life of combined school and farm work, with
healthy, strength-giving tasks, and recreation, and that close contact with
the realities of nature, which develops and sweetens a man's character.
While yet a mere youth, Mr. Foster accompanied his parents to Rockville,
and there began his business career in the humble capacity of clerk in his
father's store. His father bought out the Boston Clothing Store in Rock-
ville and at his death his son took his place, being made president of that
company. Later he formed a partnership with Mr. C. K. Gamwell and they
had a store in the old Doane Block which was destroyed by fire; they then
moved to a small building which was built for them west of the Exchange
Block. Afterward they opened a branch store in Palmer, Massachusetts,
which later Mr. Gamwell bought out. In 1885 Mr. Foster sold out to Mar-
cus Harris and a year or so later Mr. Foster and Frank M. Bingham formed
a partnership under the firm name of Foster & Bingham, which bought
back the business. This partnership continued until 1896, when it was dis-
solved, Mr. Bingham continuing the store. About a year later Mr. Foster
formed a partnership with C. W. Morrill, of Hartford, and bought out W. H.
Kelsey & Son. Later Mr. Foster returned to Rockville and established a
clothing business on Market street under the firm name of Foster & Son,
which he and his son conducted until 1904. He then retired from the mer-
cantile business.

It was not alone in the mercantile field that Mr. Foster won distinction
in Rockville. On the contrary, he was active in nearly every department of
the community's life, and especially in the realm of public afifairs. All his
life he was keenly interested in political issues and questions of public polity,
and his attention was strongly drawn to the conduct of the local public
functions. He was a member of the Democratic party, and was conspicu-
ously identified with the local organization in Rockville, and took an active

92 mUbut TBtainatU JFostet

part in politics. He did good service in the Democratic cause and was
appointed postmaster of Rockville by President Cleveland, serving through-
out that administration. He w^as greatly interested in the cause of public
education, and for many years served the people of Rockville faithfully and
well as a member of the school board. While occupying this responsible
office, his course was always above suspicion in its disinterestedness, and he
refused absolutely to have anything to do with partisan considerations, or to
play politics in any way in connection with this duty. As a consequence his
fellow townsmen, appreciating the unusual record, retained him in office for
many years.

Mr. Foster was a man of wide interests and sympathies, and extremely
fond of the intercourse of his fellows. He was a prominent figure in the
fraternal and club circles of Rockville. and was a member of the Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows, the Foresters of America and the American Asso-
ciation of United Workmen. He was a man of strong religious feeling and
beliefs and attended the Congregational church of Rockville. He was also
an active worker in the cause of religion and supported materially the many
charities and benevolences in connection with the Congregational work, con-
tributing generously of time, money and energy. Worthy charity made a
strong appeal to him, and he served for a term of years as trustee of the
Insane Hospital in Rockville.

Mr. Foster married, December 26, 1872, Mary Edna Winchell, a native
of Rockville, born March 16, 185 1, daughter of Cyrus and Hester Ann
(Bumpstead) Winchell, of that place. Mrs. Foster's father, Cyrus Winchell,
was one of the leading citizens of Rockville in his time, a conspicuous figure
among the men who were identified with the industrial and financial de-
velopment, vice-president of the People's Savings Bank and was a director
of the Rockville National Bank, and many other important concerns. To
Mr. and Mrs. Foster were born three children, two sons and a daughter, as
follows: William J., who married Lina C. Bentley, and now resides with
his wife in Rockville; Minnie W., who married Dr. H. L. Riley, formerly of
Hartford and now of Boulder, Colorado; Harry D., who died September 11.
1907, at the age of twenty-eight years. Mrs. Foster and the two elder chil-
dren survive Mr. Foster. Until October 5, 1914, Mrs. Foster's mother,
Mrs. Cyrus Winchell, had lived with her, her death occurring on that date
at the advanced age of eighty-eight years.

In spite of his many activities, which led him much into public and social
life, Mr. Foster was essentially a domestic man. It was the ties of the fam-
ily, the household, the home that bound him closest, and his happiest hours
were spent by his own hearth-stone. He was an afifectionate and faithful
friend and enjoyed the society of his intimates only next to that of his own
household. The afifection and trustworthiness of his character begot the
same in those who had dealings with him, and people rarely remained
merely acquaintances, that relation strengthening to friendship easily, so
that he had a very large circle of friends in fact as well as in name. He was
a man who, not content with the mere profession of religion, strove to trans-
late his beliefs into the terms of every-day life, and make it a practical guide

mUbm IBtainatD jFostct

93

to conduct. His sense of justice was extremely developed and his attitude
towards his fellows was tolerant and unassuming, truly democratic, so that
all men, alike the highest and the most humble, felt at home in their inter-
course with him. His loss was felt deeply, not only by his immediate family
and friends, but by the community at large.

iiBlartus ilKlorton iSacon

^HE death of Marcus Morton Bacon on September 6, 191 1, at
Hartford, Connecticut, lost to that city one of its most prom-
inent merchants and public-spirited citizens and a member
of a very old and honorable house, distinguished both in
Connecticut and in the neighboring State of New York.
The "war governor" of New York State, Edwin Denison
Morgan, was a great-uncle of Mr. Bacon, Governor Mor-
gan's sister, Phoebe Morgan, having married his grandfather. His parents
were William A. and Caroline (Stone) Bacon, both natives of Connecticut
and old residents of Hartford, their home being the old Morgan homestead
situated on Front street, the principal thoroughfare of the city. It was
William A. Bacon who founded the great bottling business which still is in
full operation by the family, built the big works on Shelton street, where he
afterwards met his death while at work. William A. and Caroline (Stone)
Bacon were also parents of another son, Belma A. Bacon, living at the
present time (1915).

Marcus Morton Bacon was born January i, 1843, i" the old Morgan
mansion on Front street, Hartford, and there passed the years of his child-
hood, attending the excellent public schools of the city and there gaining a
fine general education. He completed this schooling early, however, and
at the age of fourteen or fifteen years he began work in his father's bottling
establishing. His life was no sinecure, for he was employed to drive the
wagon over a long country route, and was obliged to be at work at five
o'clock in the morning. He was an industrious, hard-working youth, how-
ever, and managed to learn much of the detail of the business, so that he was
soon promoted to more responsible positions, in all of which he did highly
efficient work. As his father grew older, the young man came to take more
and more of the direction of afifairs on his own shoulders, and when the
elder man met his tragic death in the accident at the railroad station, where
he was on business connected with the factory, his son was able and ready
to step into his place in the management. This control of the business he
retained until the time of his own death many years later, and exercised it
with such judgment and skill that the concern flourished greatly, and when
the time came for him to turn the afifairs of the company over to his suc-
cessor, they were found to be in the most prosperous condition. The busi-
ness, indeed, grew to very large proportions during his management, and
became one of the largest of the kind within that region. His business talent
was unusual and his policies were all based on the firm foundation of scrupu-
lous honesty, so that his dealings with all his business associates was of a
nature to win him the highest reputation, thus insuring permanence to his
success. As he had succeeded his father in the ownership and control of the
company, so he was succeeded by his son Herbert, who is now the successful
head of the firm.

Mr. Bacon had many interests outside the conduct of his business, and

tyiiarau -^Corton l/jacon

09arcus ggotton IBacon 95

was an active participant in many departments of the city's life. He was
extremely public-spirited and took a great deal of interest in the conduct of
the com.munity's affairs, and there were but few movements undertaken for
the advancement thereof which appealed to him for aid in vain. He was also
much of a thinker in the matter of the political issues of the day, both local
and national, and a strong supporter of the principles and policies of the
Democratic party. He was a retiring- man, however, and never allied him-
self actively with the local organization, nor desired to hold any public office,
preferring to exert what influence he might in his capacity of private citizen.
He did join the bucket corps of the volunteer fire department of that day in
Hartford and worked energetically for the advantage of the department.
Mr. Bacon was always a prominent figure in Hartford social circles, and his
house was noted for its open hospitality and the delightful welcome
accorded to such as were privileged to visit it. He was also the possessor of
a great deal of taste and artistic appreciation, which his ample fortune per-
mitted to find a natural expression in the graceful elegance of his home.
He was very fond of horses and driving and owned many fine specimens
of the animal, in which he took great pride. He owned as well a motor car,
when that invention had become practicable, and took a great deal of pleas-
ure in its operation.

Mr. Bacon was twice married, his first wife being Delia Case, of Hart-
ford, Connecticut, daughter of Wallace Case, deceased, former citizen of
Hartford. To them were born four children, as follows: Grace A., now
Mrs. W. L. Wakefield, of Hartford, three children: Mildred, Helen, Eliza-
beth; Catherine, now Mrs. George H. Coe, of East Orange, New Jersey,
four children: Catherine, George H.. Jr., Robert Bacon and Walter Wake-
field, twins; Frances D. ; and Herbert Morton, married Isobella M. Hunting-
ton, of Hartford, and is now the owner of the valuable Bacon Bottling
Works, two children: Herbert Morton, Jr., and Jane Morgan. Some time
after the death of his first wife, February 2-j, 1895, Mr. Bacon married Mrs.
Sophia Smith, nee Michael, a daughter of John and Laura C. Michael, of
Hartford, Connecticut. Mr. Michael was a native of Scotland, who came
in young manhood to this country and settled in Hartford. Mrs. Bacon was
the widow of James Sumner Smith, of the firm of Smith, Fowler & Miller,
of Hartford, Connecticut, where he was a prominent figure in the business
world. He was a son of Sumner and Mary (Goodwin) Smith, his maternal
grandfather, having been Horace Goodwin, the first major of the Putnam
Phalanx. Mrs. Bacon is the mother of two children by her first marriage,
Allan Goodwin, who died in infancy; and Julia, who is now Mrs. Andrew R.
Mussel, of Hartford. Since the death of Mr. Bacon, Mrs. Bacon has resided
with her daughter at No. 306 Maple avenue. Hartford. She is a woman of
remarkable business ability and it has been due to her excellent manage-
ment of it that some valuable shore property belonging to the Bacons has
been developed.

With all his talents Mr. Bacon was essentially a domestic man. He was
very retiring, and though he greatly enjoyed the society of his friends he
shrank from putting himself in a position where he might become con-

96

Qgatcus Qgotton 'Bacon

spicuous. Though so uniformly successful and so universally liked and
admired on account of his sense of justice by all whom he met in his business
life, yet his chief happiness was found in the retirement of his own home and
in the intercourse of his own household. The same qualities that made him
a devoted husband and parent also made him a faithful friend, so that of the
great number who were originally attracted to him because of his unusual
personality, there were none who did not remain bound to him by a sense of
his sterling worth and simple heart. To his family and to these devoted
friends, and further yet, to the citizens of his native Hartford, his death is a
very real loss and leaves a gap which it will be difficult indeed to fill.

"JcK £/)g^o.

^eter ®obson mi 3o})n Strong Bobson

'HE CAREER of two such men as Peter Dobson and his son,
John Strong Dobson, could not very well occur without
strongly influencing the community in which they lived,
particularly a community like Vernon, Connecticut, where
the elder man settled, just at the beginning of its growth, and
the great industrial development of which is so largely attri-
butable to his intelligent initiative and energy and that of his
successor and son.

Peter Dobson was not a native of Connecticut or, indeed of this country,
having emigrated to America from England as a young man, but he was one
of essentially democratic feelings and principles, believing strongly in repub-
lican institutions, and at once fell into the ways of his adopted land, in the
future of which he had the strongest and most abiding faith. He was born
August 5, 1784, in Preston, Lancashire, England, and there passed the first
twenty-five years of his life, learning much about the cotton manufactur-
ing industry, in that region where it forms so large and important an inter-
est. He was a man who from his earliest youth displayed extraordinary
scientific ability, to such an extent that even before coming to this country
his attainments as a mathematician were recognized in scientific circles in
England, and he had in his possession a letter from the well known mathe-
matician and author, Hutton, stating that he had learned in recent publica-
tions of his mathematical gifts and desiring him to take part in an examina-
tion for an official position then open in the Royal Military Academy at
Woolwich. Upon his arrival in Vernon, it became Mr. Dobson's task to
establish the manufacture of cotton in that region, a task which he success-
fully accomplished, introducing the first cotton spinning machinery in the
place, when in 1810, at the age of twenty-six, he with the assistance of
several others whom he had interested in the project, built a mill on the spot
in Vernon which is to this day known as "Dobson's Mills." The newly
founded business was progressing favorably when it received a very serious
blow which only the patient genius of Mr. Dobson made it possible for it to
survive. This was the outbreak of the War of 1812 with England, with its
accompanying bitterness of the Federals against the government and all
American sympathies and interests. In the city of Hartford, which was the
principal market for Vernon manufactures, this feeling was especially
strong among the conservative and powerful merchants, who carried their
prejudice to the point of declining to deal in American products. Mr. Dob-
son, who was already a far better American and democrat than many of
those born in the country, was hard pushed to find a market for the output
of his mills. He was obliged to resort to selling to peddlers and all sorts of
makeshifts to dispose of it. The storm blew over at length, however,
and from that time onward the result w^as insured. Mr. Dobson's associates
were all active and energetic men and the business flourished greatly not
only during the long life of its founder, but down to the present time, though
it now bears another name and is under other ownership. During his life
Mr. Dobson witnessed the growth of the great homes of industrial enter-

96b Peter Dolison anD 3[ol)n Strong Dofison

prises, many of which owed their origin in a measure to his own act in estab-
lishing the cotton industry there. He witnessed the great development of
Rockville and of Vernon, in which latter place he had his home.

While Mr. Dobson's work in the direction of industrial development
was invaluable to his region, it was not by any means his only occupation,
nor indeed the work for which he afterwards became well known. This lay
rather in the direction of science, in which his achievements were of extreme
importance, and received wide recognition both in this country and abroad,
chiefly, perhaps, in the latter. He was a man of great powers of observation,
and that of a close kind, and of original thought, the possessor of a mind
well capable of classifying and relating the knowledge thus gained. Geology
was the subject which, perhaps, shared the greater portion of his time
and attention, together with mathematics. In the former he did some very
valuable research work, and was the originator of the theory of the action
of ice on rock during the glacial periods of geology, now in general accept-
ance. Like the apple and Sir Isaac Newton, it was an apparently common-
place phenomenon which first drew his thought in the right direction. At
the time of excavating for the foundations of his cotton factory, he noticed
a number of large boulders dug out from the clay and gravel of which the
soil was composed. These boulders weighed all the way from ten hundred-
weight to fifteen tons or more, and many of them were scratched and
abraded on the under side in a manner at first sight very puzzling. Most
men would not even have observed the fact, and of the comparatively few
who did, the majority would have confessed themselves at a loss. Not so
Mr. Dobson, however. He turned over carefully in his mind all his previous
knowledge of geology, and after considerable thought came to the con-
clusion by a process of elimination that the only way in which such curious
parallel marks could have been made was for the rocks to have been dragged
in a fixed position over other rocks or gravel. But what agency could hold
rocks of that size fixed while it bore them along with sufficient force to crush
and abrade their lower surfaces. Not water certainly, but at least a form
of water — ice. Great masses of ice in movement would treat rocks held in
suspension in precisely that manner, and even in the present day, the great
alpine glaciers of the world were known to carry immense masses of soil and
rocks from the heights to the plains below. These ideas Mr. Dobson com-
municated to the "American Journal of Science" in an essay of scarcely more
than a page in length, but in such terse and convincing terms that Mr. Silli-
man, the publisher, printed it, without foreseeing, however, how great a
revolution in glacial theories it would cause. Sixteen years later in an
address delivered before the Geological Society of London, on the occasion
of an anniversary meeting, Sir Roderick Murchison, president of the society,
referred to this very brief article of Mr. Dobson, and after saying much in
praise of both the theory and its author, closed his address with the follow-
ing words:

Apologising, therefore, for having detained you so long, and for having previously
too much extended a similar mode of reasoning, I take leave of the glacial theory in
congratulating American science upon having the original author of the best glacial
theory, though his name has escaped notice ; and in recommending to you the terse
arguments of Peter Dobson, a previous acquaintance with which might have saved
volumes of disputation on both sides of the Atlantic.

To/i >i cy/f<i^t^ k^ ooSo^/i

Peter Do&son anD 3lof)n Strong Dofison 96c

This utterance of Sir Robert Murchison, then regarded as one of the
leading authorities in the world on the subject, quickly brought Mr. Dob-
son's name into public notice, especially among geologists the world over.
In this country he was especially praised by Professors Silliman and Hitch-
cock, both well known authorities, as well as by many other men regarded
as authorities in their several lines.

Mr. Dobson was twice married, the first time to Betsey Chapman, a
native of Ellington, Connecticut. To them were born two children, William
and Mary. Mrs. Dobson died in the year 1816, and in 1817 Mr. Dobson was
married to Sophia Strong, a daughter of John and Lydia (Sumner) Strong,
of East Windsor, Connecticut. The children of the second marriage were
as follows: John Strong, mentioned at length below, and Charlotte, who
became the wife of Dr. A. R. Goodrich, of Vernon, Connecticut.

Mr. Dobson lived many years in his adopted country, his death occur-
ring on March 18, 1878, at the venerable age of ninety-three years and seven
months. During that long period, he proved himself an ideal citizen, and no
native-born American could have shown more faith in and devotion to
American ideals and institutions. The terms Democrat and Republican
were indiscriminately applied to the members of the Democratic party of
that day, and in both names Mr. Dobson gloried. He was absolutely staunch
in his Democratic beliefs and a stout champion of the contention that the
common people were quite capable of managing their own affairs. Unfor-
tunately for him, the region in which he lived was the very stronghold of the
Whigs, who did not smile at all upon his sturdy independence, and he thus
lost the opportunity to occupy the position in the world of public affairs to
which his mind and capabilities, as well as his interest, entitled him. But
in spite of even this disadvantage he was the recipient of many marks of his
townsfolk's trust, which he well deserved and merited. His character was
one of those straightforward, courageous ones, which scorned to be other
than perfectly open and frank in the expression of its beliefs and opinions,
and although this won him some enemies among those of different views, it
won him many more friends and the admiration of the community generally.
His personality was attractive; large and powerfully built, his physical char-
acteristics seemed in harmony with his decided will and original mind, and
added to the general impression of force which he gave. Rarely angry,
always self-controlled, his very calmness made him a dangerous adversary,
all his faculties being ever on the alert for attack and defence. But this trait
was not that most strongly suggested by his appearance and manner. A
strong sense of justice and the kindliest of hearts ever stood in the way of
his using his uncommon powers in an aggressive or tyrannical manner ; his
democracy was not one of belief only, but of nature, and he felt himself the
brother and companion of all men, high and low.

John Strong Dobson, the only son of Peter Dobson by his second mar-
riage, inherited many of his father's sterling virtues, and succeeded him in
the work he did for the community. He was born May 18, 1818, in Vernon,
Connecticut, and spent much of his childhood in his native place. When he
came of age to attend school, he was sent away from home to institutions,
first in East Hartford, Connecticut, and later in Wilbraham, Massachusetts,
where he gained an excellent general education. Upon completing this
schooling he returned to Vernon and at once entered his father's establish-

96d Peter Do60on anD 3fo!jn Strong Dobson

ment, where he learned the business of cotton manufacture in every detail.
In the year 185 1 he took complete charge of the Vernon manufacturing
interests, and continued the success which they had enjoyed under his
father's able management. These interests were finally disposed of, and Mr.
Dobson gave his time and attention to other matters. His position in the
industrial world had been such that his influence was felt also through-
out financial circles in that region, and he became directly connected with a
number of institutions, among which may be mentioned the First National
Bank of Rockville and the Savings Bank of Rockville.

A most impressive tribute to the character of Mr. Dobson, and a proof
that sterling qualities and strong personality can overcome even the most
untoward circumstances, is contained in his career in politics and public
affairs. Like his father before him he was the staunchest of Democrats, in
feelings and convictions, and was indeed a member of the Democratic
party. Like his father, also, he was one of the most outspoken of men,
expressing his opinions with perfect frankness on every question, while
Vernon also continued in its almost violent anti-Democratic sentiment. In
spite of the strong opposition against him on political grounds, the influence
of his personality on the community and the admiration felt by all towards
his strong integrity and good judgment was such that he was repeatedly
elected to public oflice, and that though he never in any way sought it. In
1852 he was a State Senator, and served in that responsible office to the
entire satisfaction of his district, winning for himself a reputation as a man
of great power and the deepest convictions. He was the youngest member
of the Senate during his term, but notwithstanding made a decided impres-
sion upon that body. In 1876 he was appointed State Auditor of Public
Institutions and in that same year was a Presidential Elector.

John Strong Dobson married, January 21, 1841, Julia Woodbridge
White, a daughter of John J. White, of Hartford. Mr. White was a very
well known instructor in his home city, and a mathematician of great ability,
the author of a standard text-book of arithmetic, used in many schools
throughout the country. He was of that courtly type of gentleman which
seems to be passing from us to our great loss. He was of an unusually attrac-
tive personality, possessed of the most polished manners, and with an un-
usually keen sense of humor which found its chief expression in clever re-
partee, which, however, he never used with malice or cruelty. He was a
very prominent member of the Masonic order, and had reached a high degree
therein. To Mr. and Mrs. Dobson was born one child, a daughter, Emma S.,
who became the wife of Rienzi B. Parker, a sketch of whom appears else-
where in this work.

However great the achievement of Mr. Dobson in public life and busi-
ness, his real success lay rather in the position he reached in the admiration
and affection of his friends and neighbors, who had so keen a respect for his
judgment and strong sense that they often approached him for the settle-
ment of disputes and the distribution of estates, much as the patriarchs of
olden days were sought. His death which occurred December 15, 1882,
was a very real loss to the entire community, which as a whole had bene-
fitted so greatly through his activities. The Dobsons, father and son, will
long be remembered in that region as the two men who, perhaps more than
any others, contributed to the general welfare of the place.

3Rten?t iSelcljer ^arfeer

'HE DEATH of Rienzi Belcher Parker on April 12, 1912,
removed from the city of Hartford, Connecticut, one of its
active and public-spirited citizens and a scion of one of the
old New England families v^hose name has held an honored
place in the annals of the community from the earliest Colo-
nial times dov^n to the present. Though not a native of Hart-
ford, Mr. Parker and three generations of his forbears had
lived in Connecticut, his great-grandfather, Ephraim Parker, moving to that
State in his early youth, sometime prior to 1750. Before that time the
Parkers had resided in Massachusetts from 1640 or earlier, when James
Parker came from England and settled in Woburn, and from whom are
sprung the family of which Rienzi B. Parker is a member. It is probable
that this James Parker was related to some or all of the other men of that
name who settled in that neighborhood at about the same time, who were
also the progenitors of lines bearing the name. Certain it is that he was a
man of energy and enterprise who took an active part in the stirring events
of those days, and whether as a pious God-fearing church member, a wise
counselor in public matters or a stout Indian fighter, was a leader in the
community.

Lucius Parker, father of Rienzi B. Parker, was a native of Willington,
Connecticut. As a young man he was employed in the factory of Peter
Dobson, whose granddaughter, Emma S. Dobson, later became the wife
of Rienzi B. Parker. Lucius Parker was connected all his life with cotton
manufacture in Connecticut and became a wealthy man thereby. He mar-
ried Bathsheba Belcher, and among their children was Rienzi Belcher, of
whom further.

Rienzi Belcher Parker was born February 15, 1838, in South Coventry,
Connecticut, and there passed his childhood up to nine years, when he re-
moved to Manchester, Connecticut, where his father established cotton
mills, and after completing his education at the local school and high-grade
school in Ellington, began work in the cotton mill, in the year 1859. and
remained in his father's employ for seven years. In 1866 he withdrew from
this association, having determined to embark in a manufacturing enter-
prise on his own account. For this purpose he removed to Vernon, Con-
necticut, and there established a cotton manufactory, which he conducted
with a high degree of success. In 1890 he removed to Hartford, Connec-
ticut, where he became interested in the life insurance business, and three
years after his removal there he was elected president of the Hartford Life
Insurance Company, an office which he held until 1900, when after seven
years' notable services he retired from active business life. He continued a
director in the First National Bank of Hartford and of the Security Com-
pany, both important Hartford concerns until the end of his life. His busi-

I'ONN-Vol HI-

98 laien^i IBelthtt parket

ness acumen was extraordinary, and he seemed to realize instinctively what
would be successful as an enterprise.

Though interested theoretically in the political issues which were
agitating the public in that day, and a keen observer of them, he did not take
an active part in politics, or ally himself to any local party organization be-
yond what was essential to the discharge of his duty as a citizen. He was a
member of the Republican party, and believed in its general principles and
policies, but was swayed by no partisan considerations in the formation of
his independent judgment.

Mr. Parker was a man of the world, a successful business man, pro-
gressive, keeping abreast of the quickly moving times in which he lived, yet
possessed in the fullest measure of those sterling virtues which are perhaps
more closely associated with an age that is passing than that now in its
zenith, the virtues of the strictest business integrity, an integrity which
would rather suffer personal reverses than fail one jot of its ideal, and of a
courtesy which justly regarded itself as an expression of civilized life.
Though deeply engaged in his business pursuits, he had time and the inclina-
tion to give much of his attention to his home and family life, enjoying
nothing more than that intimate intercourse which was to be had in those
relations. He was a man of long and strong friendships and one whose
example left an impress for good upon the community at large.

Mr. Parker married, September 13, 1865, Emma S. Dobson, of Vernon,
Connecticut, daughter of John S. and Julia Woodbridge (White) Dobson,
of that place. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Parker: i. John Dobson, born
September 25, 1866; married Edith, daughter of the late Dr. P. W. Ells-
worth, of Hartford, who bore him three children: John Dobson, Jr., Brad-
ford Ellsworth, Robert Townshend. 2. Julia W., who became the wife of
Collins W. Benton, of Hartford. 3. Lucius R., born December 21. 1872;
married Marie Antonietta, of Turin, Italy, who died June 18, 1902, leaving
one child, Rienzi Belcher, 2nd. Mrs. Rienzi B. Parker is a daughter of John
S. Dobson, a prominent figure in Vernon and the region about, a sketch of
whom appears elsewhere in this work, and a granddaughter of Peter Dob-
son. Mrs. Parker is a graduate of the once famous "Hartford Female Semi-
nary," founded by Catherine Beecher, class of 1861. She still resides at No.
300 Farmington avenue, Hartford.

Calcott

MONG the distinguished families in New England is that of
the Talcotts of Hartford, which from the earliest Colonial
times has been resident in that region, and one of whose
members was a founder of the city. The name is a very old
English one and is first found in Warwickshire, whence it
made its way into Essex, where originated the line which
forms the subject of this sketch. From that olden time has
come down even to the present, through generation after generation, the
arms of the family : Argent, on a pale sable, three roses of the field ; and the
crest, a demi-griffin erased, argent, wings endorsed collared sable, charged
with three roses of the first ; and the proud motto : Virtus sola nobilitas.

During the earliest period of the stay in Essex, there is difificulty in trac-
ing the' descent of the members of the family, and a perfectly unbroken chain
is only to be established from the time of one John Talcott, who lived in
Colchester, Essex, about the middle of the sixteenth century. From the
records it is known that he dwelt there before 1558, this fact and a number of
others concerning him having come down to us. Among these is that he
was twice married, together with the names of his wives and the date of
death, approximately, as in the autumn of 1606. See pedigree chart given in
vol. 50, p. 135, N. E. Hist. Gen. Register, taken from the Harleian MSS.,
1 137, p. 148. It is from his first wife that the American branch of the family
is descended, she being a Miss Wells, by whom he had three children. A
son of the first John Talcott, who inherited his name, died two years before
his father, left a wife and five children, one of whom, a third John Talcott,
was the immigrant ancestor, and the founder of the house in this country
and State.

The third John Talcott was a man of parts who made an important
place for himself in the life of the colony and left a very considerable fortune
to his descendants. He sailed for America on the ship "Lion," June 22, 1632,
landed in Boston and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he re-
mained for a few years. He was admitted as a freeman and became a deputy
to the General Court and a selectman. In 1636, only four years after his
arrival, he sold his property in Cambridge, and joined the party of the Rev,
Mr. Hooker, accompanying that leader to Connecticut, where the city of
Hartford was founded by them. He was very prominent in the aflfairs of
the new community, being a member of the committee that sat with the first
Court of Magistrates, 1637-39, and became a deputy to the General Court,
1639-1652; assistant, 1652-1660, and finally treasurer of the colony from
1654 to 1660, as well as holding a number of minor offices at various times.
"The Worshipful Mr. John Talcott," as he was called, was married to Doro-
thy Mott, a daughter of John and Alice (Harrington) Mott, of Wiston,
County Suffolk, England, and granddaughter of Mark Mott, of Braintree,
County Essex. The elder of their two children was a fourth John Talcott, a

loo Calcott

very distinguished man, and a great soldier, whose reputation as an Indian
fighter extended throughout the New England Colonies. It was Lieutenant-
Colonel John Talcott who brought about the abrupt end to King Philip's
War in 1676, after the death of that redoubtable chief, by ambushing the
Indians at a ford in the Housatonic river as they were retreating for protec-
tion from their Indian allies in New York. The battle that was fought there
has recently been commemorated by the dedication of a monument in Great
Harrington, Massachusetts, at a point near the ford. Both the sons of the
Worshipful John Talcott left descendants in Hartford, and also in Hartford
county, and the Hon. Joseph Talcott, for seventeen years, 1724-1741, Gov-
ernor of Connecticut, was a son of Lieutenant-Colonel John Talcott.

Although we have no positive record of the date and place of Captain
Samuel Talcott's birth, it seems probable that it occurred in Cambridge
toward the latter part of 1634 or the first of the following year. However
this may have been, he undoubtedly spent all his mature life in Connecticut,
though he returned to Cambridge to attend Harvard College, from which
he graduated in the class of 1658. He did not live in Hartford for any great
period of time, but settled in Wethersfield and became a prominent figure in
the life of that community, and there his death occurred, November 11, 1691.
He was deputy from Wethersfield to the General Court, 1669-1684; assistant,
1683-1691. In 1679 he was appointed lieutenant of the Hartford County
Troop; October 16, 1681, captain. He commanded the company of dragoons
sent to Deerfield at the outbreak of King William's War in 16(50. He also
commanded the Hartford County Troop when it escorted Sir Edmund
Andros into Hartford in October, 1687. He was married to Hannah Hol-
yoke, a daughter of Captain Elizur and Hannah (Pynchon) Holyoke, of
Springfield, and granddaughter of William Pynchon, the founder of Spring-
field, and they were the parents of ten children, eight sons and two daugh-
ters. It was from this large family of sons that a number of the Talcott
families, now living in Connecticut, are sprung.

One of the eight sons of Captain Samuel Talcott was Benjamin Talcott,
known as Deacon and Lieutenant Benjamin Talcott, who was born at
Wethersfield, March i, 1674, removing from there to Glastonbury, Connec-
ticut, in 1699, where he built him a house and continued to dwell until his
death in 1727. This house on the main street was fortified and used as a
garrison house. It stood until 185 1, when it was pulled down. This farm,
now owned by a great-grandson of the late Jared G. Talcott, has been owned
by Benjamin and his descendants for over two centuries. Deacon Talcott
was twice married, all his children being born of his first wife, who was
Sarah (Hollister) Talcott, a daughter of John and Sarah (Goodrich) Hollis-
ter, the Hollisters being an old Connecticut family of Wethersfield and
Glastonbury. Among his descendants were Elijah Horatio Talcott, the well
known business man of Torrington, Connecticut, and Allen Butler Talcott,
the gifted artist and landscape painter.

One of Deacon Talcott's sons was Colonel Elizur Talcott, who was born
at Glastonbury, December 31, 1709. He was a prominent man in that region
and distinguished himself for gallant service in the old French War and the
Revolution. He was the owner of a great deal of property in many parts

Calcott loi

of the country, and among these was a large tract on the Susquehanna
river (Wyoming), which he afterwards lost through a defect in the title. He
served in the French and Indian War in 1756, and was captain of a troop of
horse in the Sixth Connecticut Regiment in the Crown Point expedition, and
at the opening of the Revolution was colonel of the Sixth Connecticut Regi-
ment. Colonel Talcott had already registered himself an ardent patriot and
was moderator of the town meeting held in Glastonbury to denounce the
Boston Port bill. He was by no means a young man when the revolt in the
colonies so long smouldering at length flamed out, yet despite his sixty-
seven years was promptly at the head of his command. He continued active
in 1776, leading his troops in the neighborhood of New York until after the
arrival of the British. At his age, however, the hardships of active military
life proved too great a strain, and he was carried home on a litter, his health
so broken that it was impossible for him to return to the front, though he
earnestly desired to do so. He was married to Ruth Wright, a noted beauty
of the day, and a daughter of Daniel and Elinor (Benton) Wright, of an
old and highly respected Connecticut family, founded in this country by
Thomas Wright, who settled in Wethersfield in 1639, ^"d was the original
owner of Wright's Island, in the Connecticut river. Ruth (Wright) Talcott
died in Glastonbury in 1791, at the age of eighty-three years, and Colonel
Talcott followed her in 1797, at the age of eighty-eight years. They were
the parents of twelve children, as follows: Ruth, born October 17. 1731,
died September 10, 1747; Prudence, born June 6, 1734, married John Good-
rich, and died October 18, 1752; Rachel, born August i, 1736, married, Feb-
ruary 23, 1759, Theodore Hale, and died August 10, 1824; Elizur, born Au-
gust 27, 1738, died February 16, 1750; Isaac, born August 29, 1740, died
August 6, 1815; Daniel, born May 8, 1743, died February 12, 1748; George,
born November 30, 1745, died February 22, 1750; Daniel, born July 2-j, 1748,
died December 3, 1751 ; Elizur, born December, 1750, died at Oswego, New
York, November 28, 1831 ; Ruth, born May 11, 1753, married, July 7, 1773,
Thomas White; George, mentioned below; and Prudence, born December
2, 1757, married, February 13, 1780, George Welles.

George Talcott, the eleventh child of this large family, was born Sep-
tember 30, 1755, at Glastonbury, and passed his entire life in that charming
place. He inherited from his father the house built by his grandfather,
Lieutenant Benjamin Talcott, in 1699, and always lived there. He was well-
to-do and prominent in the community. He served in the Revolution and
was with the Continental army on its hard-fought retreat from Long Island.
He was twice married, the first time to Vienna Bradford, daughter of Dr.
Jeremiah and Rebecca (Dart) Bradford, of Middle Haddam, and later to
Abigail Goodrich, a daughter of Captain John and Abigail (Deming) Good-
rich, of Glastonbury. His oldest child by his second wife was Brigadier-
General George Talcott, of the United States army, who began life as a
business man in New York, but entered the regular army during the War
of 1812, being promoted captain in the ordnance corps. He continued in
the service and in 1832 was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the ordnance
corps and also inspector of arsenals and armories; in 1848 he was appointed
colonel and chief of the ordnance corps, and in 1849, brevet brigadier-

ro2 Calcott

general. He died in Albanj-, New York. April 25, 1862. The youngest son
of George Talcott, Andrew, born in Glastonbury, April 20, 1797, was gradu-
ated from West Point in 1818, standing No. 2 in his class. He became
second lieutenant in the engineer corps, and accompanied General Atkinson
on an expedition to establish militar}^ posts on the upper Missouri and Yel-
lowstone rivers. He was also employed on much other construction and
engineering work, especially on the defenses at Hampton Roads and New-
port and Fort Hamilton, New York. In 1830 he was appointed captain of
the engineer corps. For seven years, 1828-1835, he served as astronomer
for determining the boundary line between the States of Ohio and Michigan,
and during this service he invented the astronomical instrument and the
method for finding latitude by zenith distances. Both the instrument and
method bear his name. He resigned his commission in 1836, and took up
general practice as a civil engineer, and during that time performed much
United States government work, surveying boundaries, etc. In 1857 he
was appointed chief engineer in charge of the construction of the railway
from Vera Cruz to Mexico City. This undertaking was interfered with by
political disturbances and Colonel Talcott returned to the United States in
1859. After the breaking out of the Civil War, in 1861, he was appointed
chief engineer of the State of Virginia, with charge of river, coast and
harbor defences. This position he retained for about one year, then he
returned to Mexico and resumed charge of his former work there under the
Imperial government. After the downfall of Maximilian, in 1867, Colonel
Talcott left Mexico for Europe, and finally returned to the United States.
He died in Richmond, Virginia, April 22, 1883.

One of the children of George Talcott by his second wife was Russell
Talcott, who was born at Glastonbury, September 22, 1788. In 1806 he went
to New York City, where he remained for four years, and where his brother,
afterwards General George Talcott, of the United States army, was then
living. In 1810, however, he returned to Connecticut, where he took up his
abode in Hartford and entered into a partnership with Ward Woodbridge,
under the firm name of Woodbridge & Talcott, and engaged in the industry
of manufacturing cotton goods. The firm had a cotton factory at Monson,
Massachusetts, and there Mr. Talcott had to spend much of his time in
active direction of the mill. He married, June 5, 181 5, Harriet Kingsbury,
a daughter of the Hon. Andrew and Mary (Osborn) Kingsbury, of Hart-
ford. Mr. Kingsbury held the office of Treasurer of the State of Connecti-
cut for twenty-five years, 1794-1818. By this union were united two old and
honorable houses in Connecticut, and it is of interest that the Kingsbury
family, as well as that of the Talcotts, had its first origin in Warwickshire,
England. There were two children born to Mr. and Mrs. Talcott: Mary
Kingsbury, born September 23. 1816, died .\pril 28, 1838; and Russell Good-
rich, mentioned below. Mr. Talcott lived but a little more than a month
after the birth of his son, and died in Hartford. September 26, 1818.

Russell Goodrich Talcott, the second child and only son of Russell and
Harriet (Kingsbury) Talcott, was born August 15, 1818, in Hartford, and
in that city spent practically the whole of his Ife. After leaving the Hart-
ford Grammar School, he began his successful business career as a clerk in

Calcott 103

the employ of Hudson & Goodwin, who carried on a large book business in
Hartford. He left this concern to take a position with the Hartford Bank,
where he remained four years. In 1844 he gave up business life temporarily
to travel in Europe, spending that year and 1845 abroad. His tastes were of
a kind to appreciate fully this splendid opportunity and to take advantage
of it to the utmost. His natural fondness for art and literature there re-
ceived a very strong stimulus, so that he was, indeed, something of an en-
thusiast on these subjects all his life. Upon his return to America, he formed
a partnership with E. G. Ripley, under the style of Ripley & Talcott, and
engaged in the iron business in Hartford. In this enterprise they were very
successful and Mr. Talcott displayed a great deal of business ability and
skill. But it was not so much in the world of business and industry that
Mr. Talcott was well known as through his active participation in the
various movements undertaken for the advantage of the community at
large. He was very public-spirited and took a keen interest in the affairs
of the community, albeit he never identified himself with any political organi-
zation and still less sought for public office. It was more in the direction of
educational and charitable movements that his interests and activities led,
and in these departments he was particularly active. He was a director in
the Hartford and other banks, and he was the first vice-president and later
the president of the Young Men's Institute. He was also the secretary and
member of the board of managers of the Retreat for the Insane for a number
of years. He was a man of strong religious feelings and beliefs and as a
young man was a member of the Center Congregational Church. Later he
was one of the prime movers in the founding of the Pearl Street Congrega-
tional Church, now called Immanuel Church, on Farmington avenue, and
after the formation of that congregation he remained a member until the
time of his death.

He married, October 28, 1846. Mary Seymour, a native of Hartford,
where she was born November i, 1820, a daughter of Charles and Catherine
(Perkins) Seymour, of that city. This marriage was the means of uniting
another distinguished New England family with the Talcotts. the Seymours
having been founded here by Richard Seymour, who settled in Hartford as
early as 1639. Mrs. Talcott was descended from no less than than four Gov-
ernors of Connecticut, Governor John Haynes, Governor George Wyllys,
Governor John Webster and Governor William Pitkin, besides many other
distinguished men in the early period of this country's history. To Mr. and
Mrs. Russell G. Talcott was born one child, a daughter, Mary Kingsbury
Talcott, mentioned below. Mr. Talcott's death occurred when he was still
a young man but forty-four years of age, on March 3, 1863, and that of his
wife twenty years later, April 18, 1883.

Mary Kingsbury Talcott, the only child of Russell Goodrich and Mary
(Seymour) Talcott, was born in Hartford, November 3, 1847, and is now
living in that city at No. 135 Sigourney street. She is very much of an his-
torian, antiquarian and genealogist, and has written much on matters con-
nected with the local history and tradition of her native region and with the
records of her own and allied families. Among her most valuable work is
her contribution to the "Memorial History of Hartford County," published

I04

Calcott

in 1886, the work entitled the "Talcott Papers," edited by her for the Con-
necticut Historical Society and consisting of the correspondence of Gov-
ernor Joseph Talcott, the chapter on Hartford in G. P. Putnam's Sons'
"Historic Towns of New England," 1898, and a genealogy of the Kings-
bury family, which she compiled in collaboration with her kinsman, Fred-
erick John Kingsbury, of Waterbury, published in 1905. She is a member
of many societies having the preservation of the traditions of the country as
their aim and purpose, among these, the Society of Mayflower Descendants,
the New England Historic-Genealogical Society, the Connecticut Historical
Society, the American Historical Society, the Society for the Preservation
of New England Antiquities, the Society of Genealogists of London, the
Ruth Wyllys Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the
Connecticut Society of Colonial Dames. She also held the office of registrar
of the Colonial Dames for twenty years, and has been registrar of the Ruth
Wyllys Chapter since its organization in 1892.

Cfjomas l?Ear})am itoomte

UDGE THOMAS WARHAM LOOMIS, in whose death on
August 3, 1895, Windsor, Connecticut, lost one of its most
distinguished citizens, was a member of a family which first
in the old world and then in the new has held for centuries
a prominent and honorable place in the community. The
name is a very ancient one, and, as was the case with prac-
tically all proper names in the past, was most variously
spelled. Lomas, Lumas, Lommas and Lomes, as well as many other
variants were used, but the first of these seems gradually to have come to be
standard English spelling as Loomis has come to be the American. Derby-
shire was the home of the ancient family which bore for its arms: Argent
between two pallets, gules. Three fleurs-de-lis in pale sable. A chief azure.
The crest was: On a chapeau a pelican vulning herself proper. The above
appears in Burke's books of heraldry.

Joseph Loomis was the representative of this old house, who abandoned
his home and a successful business to try his fortune in the newly found
world across the sea, about which in that early perior hung a veil of romance,
which every adventurous spirit in western Europe felt an overwhelming im-
pulse to raise. Joseph Loomis was a substantial draper of Braintree in
Essex, with much to bind him to his native land and occupation, yet at the
unromantic age of forty-eight he sailed from London, April 11, 1638, landed
in Boston a few months later, and making his way to Windsor, Connecticut,
two years later, settled there in the wilderness. He was the founder of the
family in America and occupied a position of prominence in the new com-
munity. His original home at Windsor, which was situated near the mouth
of the Farmington river and was known as "The Island," is still in the
possession of the descendants and was the lifelong home of Judge Loomis.
From the time of Joseph Loomis down to the present the family has played
an active and honorable part in the affairs of the State. The father of Judge
Loomis was Odiah Loomis, who was born at "The Island," September 28,
1783, and lived there, farming the old estate until his death. He was a
staunch Democrat in politics, and served his town in the State Legislature
for a time. He was a Congregationalist in religion, and a sturdy, independ-
ent character, an excellent example of the men the new nation was turning
out. He married Harriet Allyn, a daughter of Samuel and Jerusha (Bissell)
Allyn, and had by her seven children, of whom Judge Loomis was the
youngest.

Thomas Warham Loomis was born March i, 1827, at the ancient
family homestead, "The Island," and made Windsor his lifelong home as
had his father before him. He left the parental roof for a short time as a
young man, it is true, but after a very little while returned and took up the
occupation of farmer which he continued to follow to within fifteen years
of his death. He received his education at the schools of his native place
and upon completing his studies went to New York City, where he was

io6 Cfjomas aaatljam JLoomis

employed for some years in a mercantile establishment. He left this occupa-
tion upon being called home to take charge of the old family estate and
farm, at the time when his father was obliged to give up the active care
thereof. He was chosen to take the eldef man's place because, being the
youngest of the children, he had not at that time become deeply interested in
any business, and could more easily sever such connections as he had formed
than the others. After his return to Windsor, the young man settled down
to the congenial duties of agriculture and continued these until about 1881,
when he retired from all active work save what was involved in his official
duties. He was extremely successful in his agricultural operations and lived
a delightful life much on the pattern of the old planters and the rural aristoc-
racy of the picturesque past. He was himself a gentleman of the old school,
courtly and yet democratic, and "The Island." though it was conducted
upon the most approved modern principles as far as its agricultural opera-
tions were concerned, possessed an atmosphere which made it seem to the
visitor like a fragment of a more gracious age.

Notwithstanding the fact that his occupation was calculated to encour-
age a life of retirement, Judge Loomis was a conspicuous figure in the affairs
of the community, his activity being at once the cause and the result of the
offices which he held at various times in his career. The sterling, upright
character of the man appealed to a community where such virtues are valued
highly and in course of time he held all the more important offices within
the gift of the town, his conduct in each capacity serving to make his fellow
citizens only the more anxious to honor him and avail themselves of such
disinterested service. He was for a number of years a judge of probate and
established for himself a splendid record in that office, attending to the busi-
ness of others with the same zeal and interest that he showed in his own.
In the year 1857 he was elected by the town of Windsor to represent it in
the State Legislature and he served in that body both then and in the year
1862. In 1874 he became State Senator, being elected to that body from the
Third Senatorial District. He made his influence much felt in both of these
offices and served his constituents to their great satisfaction. From an early
age Judge Loomis was keenly interested in general political questions and
the conduct of public affairs. He was an original thinker upon these sub-
jects and a strong upholder of the general principles of the Democratic
party, of which he was a life-long member. He was affiliated with the
Episcopal church and was for many years an ardent worker in the interests
of the church and a strong supporter of the work of his parish. In the
realm of social life he was a prominent figure, and he was always ready to
join in any movement undertaken for the advancement of the community
or any portion thereof. He was one of the trustees of the Loomis Institute
which was endowed by the children of Colonel James Loomis, who was an
uncle of Thomas W. Loomis. Judge Loomis was an active factor in the
preliminary work on this institution, but as he died in 1895, and the buildings
were not erected until 1913-14, he, of course, had nothing to do with the
erection of the buildings. In 1914 this institution, founded in memory of
Joseph Loomis, the representative of this family, who first settled in Amer-

J^

Cf)omag Mlar&am Hoomis 107

ica, consisting of a number of fine buildings and located on the old Loomis
estate, was opened.

Judge Loomis married, November 17, 1858, Jennie Griswold Cooke, a
native of Windsor, Connecticut, born November 11, 1831, and a daughter of
Allen and Mary (Griswold) Cooke, of that place. To them were born two
children, as follows: Allyn, born November 21, i860, a graduate of Yale at
the age of twenty-three, and died June 20. 1884; Jennie, born June 21, 1871,
and now resides with her mother in the old family estate, "The Island." She
has inherited many of the qualities and the intelligence of her father, won
her B. S. at Wellesley College, from which she graduated with the class of
1892, and has taken her father's place on the board of trustees of the Loomis
Institute. She is also the secretary of the Loomis Family Association of
America.

Judge Loomis' death occurred at Littleton, New Hampshire, while on
a trip to the White mountains to regain his health. It was a severe blow to
the entire community, where for so many years he had been a familiar figure
and where for an equal period he had constantly won for himself a high
degree of honor and affection from his fellows. He was a man of the most
sterling virtues and the trust and confidence reposed in him by the commun-
ity at large was the best tribute that could have been paid to his character
and qualifications. A devoted husband and father, a faithful friend and a
public-spirited citizen, he was known and loved for his virtues and winning
personality far and wide among all classes of men.

2^eb, saeuel Hotcl^fetSiS Cuttle

HE sudden death of the Rev. Reuel Hotchkiss Tuttle, on Au-
gust 13, 1887, at the age of sixty-three years, was a severe
loss to the town of Windsor, Connecticut, and deprived the
Episcopal church in New England of one of its most earnest,
indefatigable and devoted servants and ministers. He was
a member of a very old and much honored Connecticut fam-
ily, and one which of recent years, as well as in the past, has
given to that State some of its most valued and prominent citizens. Espe-
cially has this been so in the realm of industrial development, where the
names of Eben Clark Tuttle and Bronson Beecher Tuttle will be remem-
bered as among the most successful leaders and organizers.

The founder of the family in this country was William Tuttle, a de-
scendant of the Tuttles of Hertfordshire, where the name is very ancient,
and is supposed to have originated from the word ''tuthill," signifying a
round or conical hill. The Tuttle arms are thus described : Azure, on a bend
doubly cotised, a lion passant, sable. Crest : On a mount vert, a bird, proper,
in the beak a branch of olive. Motto : Pax.

This William Tuttle sailed for the American colonies as early as the
year 1635, in the good ship "Planter," with two brothers, Richard and John,
one of whom returned to the old country and eventually died in Ireland,
and the other became a resident of Boston, dying there in 1640. They came
from the parish of St. Albans, in Hertfordshire, and William settled first in
Boston, and later in Charlestown and Ipswich, and finally located in New
Haven, Connecticut. From that time down to the present, Connecticut has
remained the home of many branches of the family, the one which we are
at present tracing having its abode in New Haven, East Haven, and of late
years in Hartford. The parents of the Rev. Mr. Tuttle were Samuel and
Betsey (Hotchkiss) Tuttle, of Hartford and East Haven, respectively, and
long residents in the former city, where Mr. Tuttle, Sr., was a well known
and successful merchant, engaged in trade with the West Indies and Can-
ada. Mrs. Tuttle was also a descendant of a New England house, the immi-
grant ancestor having been Samuel Hotchkiss, of Essex, England, who set-
tled in New Haven as early as 1641.

Reuel Hotchkiss Tuttle was the youngest of ten children, many of
whom became prominent figures in the life of Hartford and other places,
and was born July 16, 1824, in Hartford, passing there his childhood and
early youth. In Hartford also he gained the better part of that liberal edu-
cation for which he was remarkable, with the exception of those studies
especially devoted to the study of theology. He attended the excellent
public schools and was a graduate of the old grammar school. He later
matriculated at Trinity College, from which, after a brilliant career, he was
graduated with the class of 1847.

Mr. Tuttle was naturally a close and profound student, and at the end
of his college course possessed many scholarly attainments; his chief inter-

-^^^^i^ ...i/^, <L^Z^:^^^^

Hcuel l^otcbkfss Cuttle 109

est, however, at that time, as it had been from early youth, and as it remained
throughout life, being in theology and the problems and the service of the
church. To these problems and to this service he had determined to dedi-
cate his life ; and as a first step in this direction he entered the General Theo-
logical Seminary in New York City. After his graduation from this insti-
tution in the year 1849 he continued his training for the ministry as a lay
reader, first in the Episcopal church at Plymouth, Connecticut, and then
at Thompsonville, in the same State. His ordination occurred at Christ
Church, Hartford, June 30, 1850, as a deacon, and he was in Thompson-
ville. Connecticut, as a deacon from 1850 to 1853, then was called to take
charge of the church at Old Town, Maine, by the Right Rev. Bishop Bur-
gess, formerly of Hartford, who was well acquainted with the Tuttle family,
and had been their rector. He remained in Old Town for a period of about
two years, during which time he was admitted to the priesthood, and then
received a call to St. John's Church, at Salisbury. Connecticut, and removed
to that town, where he took charge of the parish for five years and made
himself much honored and beloved there. Mr. Tuttle's next charge was at
Crompton, Rhode Island, whither he was called by the Right Rev. Bishop
Clark in 1858, and where he continued his service for about eighteen months.
The next call which Mr. Tuttle received was to Windsor, Connecticut, where
the Episcopal church, founded as a mission by Bishop Coxe, then of St.
John's Church, Hartford, was in its infancy, and known as St. Gabriel's. Up
to the time of Mr. Tuttle's incumbency there had been no resident clergy-
man, he being the first to take the place. He at once entered upon his new
labors heart and soul, and during the ten years of his connection with the
parish as its rector brought it to an important position in the diocese while
developing it. One of the tasks that he undertook was the erection of a suit-
able church building, and this work he carried to a successful conclusion.
Indeed, he was not only the prime mover in this work, but through his fam-
ily was among the largest contributors to the building fund, his own first
ofifering being the first made, and that in thanksgiving for the recovery of a
little daughter from a serious illness. The result of his generosity and efforts
was the handsome structure erected at a cost of twenty-five thousand dol-
lars, which so long has been an ornament to the town. After ten years of
the most devoted service as pastor, the Rev. Mr. Tuttle was obliged to resign
his charge, to the great grief of all concerned, himself and his parishioners.
The cause of this generally regretted resignation of Mr. Tuttle was a severe
affection of the throat, which made it impossible for him to use his voice as
required by his priestly duties. He was succeeded by the Rev. Mr. Judkins
in his pastorate, but did not leave Windsor, which he continued to make his
home until his death. He continued also a member of the parish over which
he had presided during the incumbency of three clergymen, his successors,
and it is a remarkable tribute to the gentle charity of his nature that
although he continued to take an active part in church aflfairs, he was always
in perfect harmony with the men who had taken his place, nor made the
extremely delicate relation in which he found himself toward them in the
least apparent.

But although he was obliged reluctantly to give up the work which he

no Reuel ^otcftbiss Cuttle

most loved, Rev. Mr. Tuttle was not the man to allow himself to enter a'
depressed retirement. On the contrary, he only pursued other tasks with
the more energy, as he was obliged to drop the chief of them. He was
greatly interested in the cause of education and gave generously of his time
and efiforts to it, and served on the board of school visitors, acting for some
time as chairman, visiting all the schools of the various districts of the town,
and acting on the school committee of the third district of the town of
Windsor for many years. Among the various works he accomplished for
the benefit of Windsor and its neighborhood was the compilation and writ-
ing of the general history of Windsor for incorporation in the "History of
Hartford County," in which his erudition and scholarship were displayed to
advantage.

Rev. Mr. Tuttle married, May lo, 1853, in the city of Boston, Massachu-
setts, Sarah Ann Crompton, a native of Holcomb, Lancashire, England, and
a daughter of William and Sarah (Lowe) Crompton, old residents of that
place. Mr. Crompton was an inventor and scientist of some note in Eng-
land, one of his inventions being the Crompton loom for the manufacture of
woolen goods, which won him a wide reputation. To Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle
were born four children, as follows: i. Annie Elizabeth, born March 13, 1854,
died January 19, 1902; married. October 24, 1883, Elijah Cooper Johnson, to
whom she bore three children: Margery Catherine, Crompton Tuttle and
Kenneth Clark. 2. and 3. Lorine Russell and Amy Crompton, twins, both
of whom died in infancy. 4. Reuel Crompton, born September 24, 1866; a
graduate of Hartford high school in 1885, of Trinity College as Bachelor of
Arts in 1889, receiving also the degree of Master of Arts, and he is also a
graduate of the School of Technology, Boston, Massachusetts; Mr. Tuttle
is an artist professionally, having opened a studio in Hartford in November,
1904, and a member of the Art Students' League of New York; his educa-
tion, besides that received at the Art Students' League, has been obtained in
Paris; he is unmarried, and makes his home with his mother in Windsor.

The warmth of devotion felt for the Rev. Mr. Tuttle by all those who
came in contact with his gracious personality was the best of tributes to him
and the surest indication of the truly Christian ideal upon which his conduct
was moulded. Before all other considerations he placed that of the church
and its welfare on the earth, and to the realization of its ideal he devoted his
time, his energy, and his life. It would be impossible to close this sketch-
more fittingly than with the words of those who had come into personal
contact with him, and knew at first hand of the great influence for good
which he exerted in the community. From many sources came tributes of
praise and appreciation of him and his work during the period just follow-
ing his death, and from among these it would seem appropriate to quote
from two. The first is the article which appeared in "The Hartford Times,"
in its issue of August 15, 1887, which, at the risk of some slight repetition,
is given nearly in full. It was as follows :

The sudden death of the Rev R. H. Tuttle, which occurred at his residence Satur-
day night, has cast a sadness over Windsor. Mr. Tuttle was a man of high intellect with
a broad and liberal mind. Quiet and unassuming, he had endeared himself to all. His
many acts of charity and deeds of kindness will never be publicly known, but he will be

ReucI l^otcbbfsg Cuttle m

severely missed by many. His loss will also be felt by the townspeople generally, but
more so in the school department, especially the board of school visitors, of which he
was for several years chairman. * * * Grace Church Society, of which he was the
first rector, are still greater losers, and none of the members would have been more
missed. His whole life seemed to have been wrapped up in the welfare of the church.

The following words are from a memorial issued at the time of his
death by the rector, wardens and vestrymen of Grace Church, Windsor,
where so large a part of his time was spent, and to the service of which he
gave so much thought and energy :

Rev. Reuel Hotchkiss Tuttle was called to his reward on Saturday, August 13,
1887, at the age of sixty-three. He was the first resident rector of Grace Church. His
pastorate was blessed with abundant success, and his holy influence was evident in the
growth, prosperity and peace of the flock. A beautiful stone church was erected in 1864,
owing its inception to a generous thank oiifering made by Mr. Tuttle for the recovery of
his beloved daughter from serious illness, an offering which stimulated the people to
great liberality. It was a sad affliction to both parties when he relinquished the rector-
ship, and his position afterwards was one of peculiar delicacy, but the patient gentleness
which he showed, and the perfect harmony between him and his three successors in office,
were tokens of a Christian character highly perfected. He loved to do what he could
in conducting public worship and teaching in the Sunday school, assisting the rector or
supplying vacancies in the neighborhood. He was clerk of the parish and a member of
the vestry. Much of his time was devoted to the oversight of public schools. He will
be long remembered for his faithful services to the church and the community, and still
more for his saintly example and kindness to all, his wisdom and refinement. He was
such a clergyman as St. Paul describes, giving no ofTence in anything, that the ministry
be not blamed ; but in all things ajiproving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much
patience, by pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy
Ghost, and by love unfeigned. We believe that when the Chief Shepherd shall appear,
he shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. His afflicted family we com-
mend to the God of consolation, with assurances of our affectionate sympathy.

The Rev. Mr. Tuttle lies in the ancient Palisado Cemetery, in the town
he served so many years. Upon the earnest request of the people of Wind-
sor in general, who wished their beloved pastor to be buried in Windsor, the
family removed their burial lot and the remains of the deceased daughters
from Spring Grove Cemetery, Hartford, to Windsor.

ilenrp a, Hunttnston

N the death of the Hon. Henry A. Huntington, on March 7,
1912, Hartford and Windsor. Connecticut, lost one of the
most distinguished citizens of the community and one whose
career promised great things for the future which was not to
come. His parents were Alonzo C. and Priscilla (Strick-
land) Huntington, old residents of Poquonock. Connecticut,
where his father was a prominent man, and represented his
district in the State Legislature. The Huntington arms are as follows:
Argent. Three lions rampant, purpure. Crest : Argent, a demi lion issuing
from a wreath.

Henry A. Huntington was himself born in Poquonock, near Windsor,
Connecticut, March 2, 1865, and there passed his childhood, attending the
excellent public schools at Windsor, and later the Windsor Academy. After
completing his studies in these institutions he turned his attention to teach-
ing as a profession, and for a time taught in the local school in Poquonock.
His interest, however, became fixed upon the law, and he determined to
make it his profession if it was possible. He began reading law with Judge
Griswold, and later attended the law school at Yale University, from which
he was graduated with the class of i8q2, and was admitted to the Connecti-
cut bar in the same year. His first experience in his new profession was in
the law firm of Gross, Hyde & Shipman, at that time Hyde, Gross & Hyde,
of Hartford. From the outset Mr. Huntington exhibited marked ability as
an attorney and it was soon possible for him to sever his connection with
his associates and engage in practice on his own account. He was at once
successful and quickly made an enviable reputation for himself on the score
of both ability and unimpeachable integrity. His office was in the building
of the Hartford Trust Company and there it remained until the time of his
death.

The great popularity which Mr. Huntington enjoyed both in Hartford
and his native neighborhood, and his rapid rise to the position of one of the
leaders of the bar in Hartford county, drew the eyes of the local party
leaders upon him as available as a candidate for the State Legislature. He
had already served as town clerk for a number of years and made an excel-
lent name for himself as a public officer. In 1910 he was nominated and
elected to the Legislature to represent the town of Windsor, running con-
siderably ahead of his party ticket at the polls. Mr. Huntington was par-
ticularly well fitted for this task and very soon made himself felt as one of
the leaders of the Republican group in the House, and his great legal knowl-
edge proved invaluable in the discussion of legislation. It also secured for
him the appointment as a member of the Judiciary Committee, in which he
did splendid work during the continuance of the session. A splendid chance
came to Mr. Huntington to display his qualifications as a leader in the
absence of Representative E. S. Banks, of Fairfield, the chairman of the

wo ^

xdin^im^

IDcnrp a. Huntington 113

body, whose place he took. It was in this responsible position that Mr.
Huntington's great ability first began to display itself adequately, and he
won praise on all sides, even from his political adversaries. His sense of jus-
tice was sure, and it was his obvious purpose to work for the advantage of
the community generally, and not of any faction thereof, so that it happened
that he made many and warm friends among the members on the Demo-
cratic side of the House, who appreciated the equitable treatment accorded
to them. It is small wonder that during this term of 191 1, in which he
established so fine a record for himself, he should have drawn the attention
of a larger section of his party, and the question of his candidacy for Con-
gress should have arisen. He did not himself encourage this idea, but
despite this attitude on his part there is little doubt that he would have
received the nomination from the First Congressional District this year had
his life been spared.

Besides his political activity Mr. Huntington was greatly interested in
a private business venture, which he engaged in in association with his
brother, Charles Huntington, of Poquonock. This was the raising of
tobacco, in which enterprise they were extremely successful. He was a
prominent figure also in the social and fraternal circles of Windsor and
Hartford, and a member of the Masonic order and the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows. He was not formally connected with any church, yet was
the possessor of strong religious feelings, and was interested in the cause
of religion, although his practice might be unorthodox.

Mr. Huntington was married. February 27, 1900, to Miss Mary M.
Clark, a native of Montreal, but a resident of Windsor, Connecticut, a
daughter of Horace D. and Margaret (Conor) Clark, the father a native of
East Granby, Connecticut, the mother a native of Cleveland, Ohio, both now
deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Huntington were born three children, who, with
their mother, survive Mr. Huntington. They are Clark Chester, Walter
Treadway and Mary Margaret. Mr. Huntington's parents also survive him.

The life of Mr. Huntington was one well worthy to serve as a model of
earnest and disinterested public service. Possessed of qualities above the
ordinary, of an unusually capable and alert mind, of a winning personality,
and a fine legal training, he gave the better part of his talents in the service
of his community, content if he received the reward contained in a knowl-
edge of his work well done. The sterling virtues of simplicity and charity,
which were the essential factors in this unusual altruism, were not over-
looked by his fellow citizens, however, who admired, and wished to reward
him for them, so that there is little doubt that his career would have been a
brilliant one, as it certainly deserved to be, had not his tragic death cut it
short in the prime of his achievement. His untimely death was felt as a loss
by all those who had associated with him even casually, and cast a gloom
over the entire community where his virtues and attractions were known.
In the Legislature, too, there was none who did not feel a strong sense of
loss, and the general sentiment was well expressed by Speaker Scott, upon
learning of his colleague's death, with whose appropriate words this sketch
closes:

CONN-Vol 111-8

114

l^enrp 3. Huntington

Mr. Huntington was regarded by, not only myself, but by the chairmen of the com-
mittees of the last General Assembly as one of the strongest men in the House. He was
conscientious in attending upon his legislative duties, always uniformly fair and broad-
minded, and he brought to the treatment of the problems which developed in the last
Assembly a breadth of view and a trained mind that were of great value in bringing
legislative order out of chaos.

It was not a surprise to me personally that Mr. Huntington should have exercised
so strong an influence upon his fellow legislators, because I had known him for twenty
years and was acquainted with the choice faculties which he manifested in his legisla-
tive work. The loss sustained by the town of Windsor in the death of so prominent and
public-spirited a citizen is shared by the entire .State.

i/y> 7//L1 Ca^'>Tr^

Samuel if^ills Capron

'ITH a virile intellect that made him a power as an educator,
and with a gentleness of spirit that appreciated and enjoyed
the beauty of the tiniest flower, the late Samuel Mills Cap-
ron, of Hartford, Connecticut, was a man who, once known,
could never be forgotten. He left the impress of his splendid
nature upon all with whom he came in contact and his influ-
ence was a vital force in the lives of those who came under
his teachings. By the very constitution of his mind he was destined to be an
instructor of men. When he was called from this life the institution of learn-
ing with which he was connected and the city in which he resided suffered an
almost irreparable loss, which, however, came with deepest force in his home
and in the circle of his intimate friends. Men of learning sought his com-
panionship and found him a peer, yet he had a heart that reached out to the
humblest and a ready sympathy quick in response. Those who were asso-
ciated with him and came to know the full reach of his nature in its intel-
lectual and spiritual development speak of him in words only of the highest
praise. He was a man great and able, true and kind, and his life was ^is
white as the sunlight.

Samuel Mills Capron was born in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, May 15,
1832, and died at his home in Hartford, Connecticut, January 4, 1874. He
was a son of William Cargill and Chloe (Day) Capron, both born in Ux-
bridge, and both descended from old New England families. Samuel Mills
Capron was prepared for entrance to college at Phillips Academy, at An-
dover, Massachusetts, which was at that time in charge of Dr. D. S. Taylor,
an eminent educator. Mr. Capron was graduated from Yale College in the
class of 1853, other members of it being Andrew D. White, later president
of Cornell University; Hon. Wayne McVeagh, of Pennsylvania; E. C. Sted-
man. the poet; and the Hon. Henry C. Robinson, of Hartford. He then
came to Hartford, where he was given the management of the Hopkins
Grammar School, included in which was the classical department of the
high school. His brother, William B. Capron, had been the principal of the
latter for six years. His health having become impaired by his arduous and
conscientious labors, Mr. Capron went abroad in 1863 and spent a year or
more in foreign travel and study. Upon his return to Hartford in the spring
of 1865 he was appointed principal of the Hartford public high school, in
addition to the Hopkins Grammar School, and was the efficient incumbent
of this until his lamented death. All his life he gave himself to the cause of
education with a whole-hearted devotion that was as admirable as it was
productive of results. As an instructor in the classical languages, Mr. Cap-
ron had all the scholars who were preparing for college under his charge for
at least one year, and his excellence as a teacher has been reflected in the
very creditable position that numbers of them have taken in the various
callings of life. Graduates and scholars alike were ready to profess a pecu-
liar respect and affection for him. Pupils who came under his instruction

ii6 Samuel ^1110 Capron

received the full benefit of his ripe scholarship, and felt the inspiring influ-
ence of his own interest in the work. The year after he was placed in charge
of the school the graduates were three in number; in 1873 they were forty-
four. Under Mr. Capron's careful supervision the reputation of the institu-
tion increased until, at the time of his death, none stood higher among the
preparatory schools of the country, and at Yale College it was almost invari-
ably, the case that among the best scholars of each class were to be found
representatives of this school.

On the occasion of his first visit to Europe, Mr. Capron was accom-
panied by his wife and sister, and five other relatives, but he stayed in
Europe four months longer than the other members of the party, the greater
part of this time being spent in Germany, where he made a thorough study
of the language of the country. He visited Europe a second time in the sum-
mer of 1871, in the company of three of his pupils, when the entire time was
spent in Great Britain and Ireland. His return from his first European trip
was in November, 1864, in the midst of the Civil War turmoil, and at the
period of the most alarming depression of the currency. His resignation had
not been accepted by the board of trustees of the grammar school, but feel-
ing that the funds of the school, though affording a fair salary in ante-war
days, would not now give a comfortable support, and being urged to engage
in the business of manufacturing he left Hartford and returned to his native
town. It should be said, also, that he had brought from Europe a stock of
vigorous health, which his previous experience made him disinclined to risk
in the confinement of school teaching. But the subject came up again and
in a new aspect. After a time he was followed to Uxbridge by a committee
of the high school, who contemplated a reorganization of the school, and
urged him to accept the post of principal — a post of much more than his
former influence and responsibility, and now attended with an ofifer of nearly
double his former salary. He again took the subject under consideration,
and the result of his deliberations was his return to Hartford.

Mr. Capron married, in November. 1854, Eunice M. Chapin, whom he
had known from early youth. Five children blessed this union, of whom the
two first mentioned died in childhood: Helen Maria. Alice Louise, Clara
Day, Bertha Chapin and William Cargill. Mr. Capron was a deacon in the
Asylum Hill Congregational Church.

In order to give a faint idea of the high esteem in which Mr. Capron
was held, it is fitting that this brief review of his life should close with a few
extracts from some of the articles written at the time of his death. Mar-
garet A. Blythe wrote about him as "The Man and the Teacher" as follows:

No one can write of Mr. Capron without fearing that his words will read like an
ideal sketch of the perfect man. Of all the men whose lives were ever written, this is
he whom his biographer would least desire to overpraise. Living, he loved the truth,
and shunned applause ; the voice would be unfriendly that should affront his ashes with
a eulogy misplaced. Yet words truly spoken of him, let them be guarded how they may,
will seem to praise him out of reason. Nor can one action of his life be named. — far less
can the sum of his work be reckoned. — unless one should speak of that matchless character
which his friends would gladly leave to be its own remembrancer ; for what he did was
the result of what he was, and what he was, was still the measure of what he could do.
It is not always so. Many a time the teacher, the poet, the preacher, is greater than the

Samuel QgiUg Capron 117

man ; but he, who surpassed other men in so much, was above them not least in this, that
he was more real in all his qualities than they. His teaching was himself. He was not
a teacher of genius, if by genius is meant a development of one faculty at the expense
of others. He was great as the head of a school through the same qualities which
would have made him great anywhere else. If he had been in business, he would have
understood that business so much better than anyone else that he would speedily have
become necessary to it. If he had been the colonel of a regiment, he would have been
deeply feared, passionately loved, and intrepidly followed by his men. If he had been a
prime minister, he would have been the mild, unconscious autocrat of his cabinet. * ♦
Those who most valued Mr. Capron wondered sometimes what it was in him that
inspired his scholars with so deep a respect for his abilities. It was not scholarship, for
the great mass of them never met him in the class room. His addresses to the school
were remarkable only for directness and simplicity. It could not all be an impression
filtering down through the senior class, always a small and exclusive body. Yet the
least and last urchin of the fourth class would speak of him with awe as a smart man.
So far as this estimate is to be ascribed to any one quality in him, it was doubtless due
to his extraordinary executive faculty. In all the daily exigencies of the school, the thou-
sand-and-one questions, involving a host of conflicting interests and remote considera-
tions, all endlessly complicated with each other, which come up for the principal's deci-
sion, he was never at fault, never flurried, never uncertain. * * * To all who lived
and labored with him, Mr. Capron was a power, a succor, and an inspiration. There
were those to whom he was something more. No one can fully understand his relations
with his teacher^ who does not know what he became to some of them, when out of
long companionship and unbroken faith a cloudless friendship dawned, and in its sun-
shine the secret sweetness of his nature unfolded leaf by leaf. * * * These are
words; too vain and vague to express the power and meaning of his life. If from his
upper sphere one born of a nobler race came down and clasped us, held us a little while
in converse, and departed, could we more describe him than to say of his face that it
was fair, and of his voice that it was lovely? Only the speech of the immortals can
rightly syllable immortal beauty. That in our friend which was but common and earthly
we may reveal ; his diviner part eludes our praise.

Thomas A. Thacher, Professor in Yale Colleg-e, said of the scholarship
and character of Mr. Capron, in part :

If now we ask what was the cause of his success as a teacher, our answer must be,
that it was in the man, in what he was, in his qualities and characteristics. It was the
outworking of the man within into the sweet, and consistent and busy activities of his
life, that made him the great and growing blessing to the commimity. The good man,
out of the good treasure of his heart, brought forth good things. That substratum of a
strong and, at the same time, lovely character, was the essential thing. Without that his
outward life could not have been what it was, or, even if it could have been, it would
have wanted that intangible life giving power which has a deeper spring than is visible
to the eye. * * * Whatever he had to do he had the habit of doing judiciously. He
was quick to discover what was worth while, and what was idle and useless, and thus
escape the waste and annoyance to himself and to others, which come from the hesitation
of a feeble judgment. He was a thorough scholar, and he made his pupils feel that no
other scholarship was worthy of the name nor of any great value. * * * Who that
was ever under the instruction of Mr. Capron does not still feel the influence of his per-
sonal character upon himself? He was eminent for his nice scholarship, but as a man he
was more. In his combination of the rare scholar and the rare man he became a model
teacher.

From the obituary notices of the press we quote the following extracts:
"We have never seen another person who did his work so unobtrusively. He
was exceedingly modest, but he had not the false timidity of inefficiency.
Here was a man who, without the least show or apparent ambition of
applause or self assertion, was doing day by day a great work." "Add to all
this that he was a man of eminently refined tastes, an accomplished and

ii8 Samuel Q^ills Capton

thoroughly accurate scholar, a noble gentleman, and a consistent Christian,
and what more can be said?" "It would be wrong, perhaps, to say of any
man that his place can never be filled. Our best men and women die and
the world's affairs go on, and the places of the dead are filled to more or less
acceptance, and everything seems, on the surface and face of affairs, to go
on as well as formerly. Yet there are losses by death which can only be
regarded as public calamities. To this community the death of Samuel
M. Capron is felt to be such a loss." "It was just this subtle personality
of Mr. Capron, summed up in a thoroughly genuine and manly character —
the scholar, the gentleman, the Christian — adding to his treasures of learn-
ing and culture the priceless gift of a true and faithful heart, transmuting the
teacher's duty into joy, and his responsibility into love, that won such gen-
eral and affectionate esteem, and made him such a social power, and opened
at last the fountains of grief which caused a whole city to lift up its voice and
weep."

Were we to quote from all the addresses and printed articles published
in memory of Mr. Capron, volumes would be filled; the few here given
ampl}^ show the high esteem in which he was held.

(

(Ju^^c JlTiight Xoamh

3Btotgl)t Soornts, Hit. 35.

'HERE are certain men whose lives, because of some quality
of distinction or union of such qualities, seem to stand out
among those of their fellows, distinct and separate, like a
musical tone among many sounds, not because of its loud-
ness, but because the human ear naturally discriminates in
favor of something quite perfect and satisfying in itself. Of
such clear-cut quality, of such distinct and distinguished
individuality, was the life and personality of the Hon. Dwight Loomis, LL.
D., late associate justice of the Supreme Court of Connecticut, in whose
death, September 17, 1903, the bench and bar lost one of their brightest
ornaments, and the community a public-spirited citizen and a just judge.

Judge Loomis was a member of one of the oldest and most highly-
respected families in the State, the founder of which in this country was
one Joseph Loomis, a woolen draper of Braintree in the county of Essex,
England, from which he sailed for the American colonies in 1638, and in
the same year became one of the first settlers of Windsor, Connecticut.
There, and in other parts of the State his descendants have continued
to live down to the present time, taking an active and distinguished part in
the affairs of the community and always maintaining a well-deserved posi-
tion of prominence. The father of Judge Loomis was Captain Elam Loomis,
a successful farmer of Columbia, Tolland county, of whose marriage with
Mary Pinneo, a ladv of French descent, Dwight Loomis was the fourth
child.

Dwight Loomis was born at Columbia on the old Tolland county farm,
and there passed the years of his childhood, gaining his general education at
the local public schools and the academies at Monson and Amherst. Massa-
chusetts. These advantages the youth supplemented with much independ-
ent reading and study, and with association with such friends as he knew
would be able to impart knowledge and culture to him. One of the sources
that he repaired to in this quest was a debating society which existed in
Columbia during his youth, at which all manner of subjects were discussed,
and of which the young man was a very active member. Indeed it was in
connection with the debates in which he participated at this time that he
received the first training in addressing public gatherings, of which he later
achieved such mastery. Even at this early age he had acquired the art of
interesting and inspiring others with his ideas and feelings, and of this
faculty he was able to avail himself most appropriately in the first work
which he took up upon leaving school. This was teaching, in which he
was extremely successful, making for himself a very considerable reputation
as an instructor. He had determined in the meantime, however, to take up
the law as a profession, and accordingly, after a few years spent in teaching,
entered the office of the Hon. John H. Brockway, at Ellington, Connecticut.
This was in 1844 and after remaining for some time with his learned pre-

I20 DtofgbtLoomis

ceptor. he matriculated at the Yale Law School, from which he was gradu-
ated with the class of 1847.

The town of Rockville was at that time without a lawyer, and Mr.
Brockway, who was one of the leaders of the bar in Tolland county, pro-
posed to his former pupil that he should become associated with him as a
partner and represent the firm in that town. This proposition Mr. L.oomis
assented to with delight, and upon his admission to the bar at once made his
home there. His character was one that quickly inspired confidence, positive
and self-confident, yet without any of that aggressiveness which inspires
envy and animosity, so that he was quickly a well-known figure in the com-
munity, with a growing practice and reputation. Nor did he disappoint the
expectations of his friends. He had been a hard student and knew his sub-
ject well and this, combined with a great love for it and many natural quali-
fications, brought him remarkable success in his cases.

It was but four years after his advent in that locality when his fellow
townsmen, realizing that he was one of the rising young men, made him
their candidate for the State Assembly, his election duly following in the
same year — 185 1. Notwithstanding his youth he quickly gained a position
of prominence in this body and established a reputation, remarkable in one
so young, as a brilliant debater and wise legislator. His faithful champion-
ship of the interests of the State in general and his home community in
particular, irrespective of partisan considerations, increased his popularity
greatly, and confirmed the impression of him as a man whom they could
trust. His career, however, had fallen upon troublous times, and the intense
feeling and violent agitation incident to the slave question and preceding the
birth of the Republican party, were already in evidence. With the latter
momentous event Mr. Loomis was concerned, having been the choice of
his region as State Representative to the National Convention held in Phil-
adelphia in 1856, at which the Republican party was founded. The follow-
ing year he was elected to the State Senate from the Twenty-first District
and during his term in that body was chosen chairman of the judiciary com-
mittee, a position of the greatest responsibility and calling for legal attain-
ments of a high order. In 1859 he was elected to the Thirty-sixth Congress
from the First Congressional District of Connecticut. This was under the
circumstances a remarkable achievement, as the district, considered doubtful
at best by the party, was rendered still further so by the entrance of a dis-
appointed aspirant for the Republican nomination, as an independent. In
spite of this serious handicap Mr. Loomis was elected and again elected
to the Thirty-seventh Congress, after a unanimous renomination. His
record during his term as Congressman was a splendid one, attending so
strictly to his duties that he seldom even missed a vote, he was a shining
example to his confreres, and reaped the fruit of their very unanimous
approval and honor. He was chosen chairman of the committee on ex-
penditures in the Treasury Department, a heavy responsibility, and he was
also a member of the committee on elections.

It was not so much from the point of view of the formal observation of
his duties and obligations, however, that honor is due Mr. Loomis as because
of the courageous attitude he assumed in the face of the appalling respon-

DtoigfjtLoomis! 121

sibilities of those ominous days. The close of Buchanan's administration
and the opening of Lincoln's witnessed the rapid development of that con-
troversy w^hich came to a head with the outbreak of the terrible war which
was to last so long and drain the nation of so much wealth and so many
valuable lives, and for those in whose hands lay the shaping of events the
burden was indeed a heavy one. Fortunate indeed was the Nation that
among those who helped to guide the ship of state in those days were so
many brave men who faced the emergency squarely and did not hesitate to
follow the course they believed in, not rashly, but calmly and with a com-
plete appreciation of the consequences involved. Among these men Mr.
Loomis was a leader. None saw more clearly than he the perils and horrors
that were to come, yet he saw also that the future of the Nation depended
on keeping a bold face and showing no vacillation, and he and all of his mind
united to uphold the hands of the great President in his efforts to preserve
intact the Union. In the spring of 1864 Mr. Loomis was elected a Judge of
the Superior Court of Connecticut for a term of eight years, and in 1872 was
reelected. He did not serve out his second term, however, as the resignation
of Judge Phelps, of the Supreme Court, left a vacancy in that august tribunal
which Judge Loomis was chosen to fill. The account of this appointment is
one which illustrates very vividly the profound respect and admiration in
which Judge Loomis was held in the community, and is briefly as follows:
Judge Phelps, whose resignation left the Supreme Court short one member,
was a Democrat, and the only one of his fellows of that political belief. The
'Governor and the legislative majority were, however. Democratic, and the
choice of Judge Loomis would mean that the Supreme Court would become
unanimously Republican through the act of a Democratic Legislature. Yet
without regard for partisan considerations, the choice was made and the
Judge was raised to the highest bench in the State. In after years Judge
Loomis used to refer to this election as the greatest compliment he had ever
received and the most satisfactory episode in his political career, and to the
action of the Democratic Legislature as one of the most disinterested and
honorable actions of the kind with which he was familiar. Judge Loomis
was reelected to his high office and held it steadily until he reached the age
prescribed by law for the retirement of judges, when the General Assembly
appointed him a State referee.

In 1892 he removed to Hartford, in which city he made his home for
the remainder of his life, a life that remained active in the public service
until the very end. As State referee he arbitrated some important disputes
including that between the State, Yale University and Storrs' Agricultural
School. His latter years were also rendered busy by his collaboration with
J. Gilbert Calhoun, of Hartford, in the writing of the important work
entitled "The Judicial and Civil History of Connecticut." In 1896, a year
after the publication of this work, Yale University conferred upon him the
degree of Doctor of Laws, and for some time he acted as a lecturer at the
law school of the university. He continued in harness to the very last, and it
was on his return from a hearing at Torrington, Connecticut, in his capacity
as State referee, that his death resulted from a sudden stroke.

Judge Loomis married, November 26, 1848, Mary E. Bill, a daughter of

122 DtoigfttLoomis

Josiah Bissell Bill, of Rockville, and a sister of Judge Benezet Hough Bill,
of that place. Mrs. Loomis was born February 14, 1822, in Susquehanna
county, Pennsylvania, and died June i, 1864. On May 28, 1866, he married
(second) Jennie E. Kendall, of Beloit, Wisconsin, but a native of Connecti-
cut, a daughter of Elisha Hubbard and Mary (Holcomb) Kendall, of that
place. She was born July 10, 1841, and died March 6, 1876. To them was
born a daughter, Jennie Grace Loomis, now Mrs. D. W. Williams.

No mere record of events can give an adequate impression of the feeling
in which Judge Loomis was held in the communities where he made his
home and, indeed, throughout the State which he so long and faithfully
served. Perhaps nothing can fully convey a sense of it, yet it would seem
that if anything could it would be those testimonials which poured in at the
time of his death, in which, from full hearts, his friends and associates spoke
their veneration and love. The closing pages of this sketch cannot be better
employed therefore than in quoting some of the more important of these.

The judges of the Supreme Court of Connecticut passed resolutions
upon the occasion of his death which, after a brief resume of his career,
closed as follows:

Judge Loomis was a God-fearing man of the antique type, one who ever lived as in
the Great Taskmaster's eye. He honored every office he was called upon to fill, he never
betrayed a trust, or consciously neglected a duty, and never was found wanting. He
was a trusted counsellor, a wise law-giver, an ideal judge, a patriotic citizen, a Christian
gentleman, a man tried and found true in every relation of life. His reported opinions
are models of their kind, and easily take rank with the best in our reports. In them the
facts are found fairly and clearly stated, the reasoning is clear-cut, logical, convincing,
and in reaching the conclusion no real difficulty in the case is evaded, nor any fair objec-
tion left unanswered. His character and ability won for him the love and esteem of his
associates on the bench, and his uprightness, his kindly nature, his unfailing courtesy,
and the combined dignity and simplicity of the man, won for him the respect and con-
fidence of the bar, and of the people. He was the best of the predecessors in office of
the present members of this court, and they, mindful of the worth of the man, of his
distinguished services to the State and Nation, take this occasion to pay this tribute to
his memory.

Similar resolutions were passed by the city council, the Hartford Life
Insurance Company, the George Maxwell Library Association, the Loomis
Institute, and many other important societies and organizations with which
Judge Loomis was in some way connected. Those of the Loomis Institute
ran in part as follows :

In the fullness of years, and of honors that were accorded to him in recognition of
his true worth, of a lineage that has given the community, the State, and the Nation,
from the colonial days, men of strength and power, statesmen, jurists, soldiers, scientists,
and men of affairs and bearing in the seventh generation the family name of one of the
pioneers in the settlement of Windsor, the ancestor of the founders of this institute,
whose purpose is to provide for those in need a free and gratuitous education, and the
means to advancement in useful knowledge, we count ourselves most fortunate in the
choice of the Hon. Dwight Loomis as its president three years ago, in his acceptance of
that office, and in its administration. * * * j\ sound lawyer, a learned judge, a true
patriot, a loyal friend, courteous always, and considerate of others' opinions, steadfast
in his own convictions and in his reasons for them, with a firm hold on the confidence
and regard of all who knew him, Judge Loomis leaves to them a legacy of honor in all
things, and to us, his associates in this philanthropic trust, an abiding memory of his
services to this institute, in his wise counsel, and his deep personal interest in the con-
duct of its affairs.

^nt^ib Wibrd UilUams

©abtti liltllarti Mltlltams

'T has often been claimed, and with considerable show of truth,
that Americans as a class are deficient in those qualities
which in other lands and among other races have produced
great developments of art and literature. But upon closer
examination the accusation falls to the ground, and particu-
larly in the case of imagination, that most essential of qual-
ities in all artistic accomplishment. Imagination is a pos-
session of our own countrymen, just as it is of the rest of mankind, but the
circumstances which have attended our growth as a people have been such
as to divert its action into strange channels and give to it an unaccustomed
and even uncharacteristic expression. To be cast upon a new world and
with problems, first a wilderness which threatened to engulf us, and then
later a vast domain of unrivaled wealth to be developed, this was our fate
as a people and it is not surprising that our attention should have been
closely chained to the practical problems of existence, and with small oppor-
tunity for those flights which have so distinguished other times and places,
but which we found it necessary to postpone to a future date. Within our
own especial province, however, our imaginations have been active enough
as the vast commercial and industrial enterprises of the country bear elo-
quent witness to, and as the marvelous mechanical inventions of Americans
no less convincingly prove. For everything of a creative nature is essentially
an eflfort of the imagination, whether it be an epic or the founding of some
great establishment for purely practical purposes.

It has been in the latter direction obviously that the creative imagina-
tion of America has exerted itself, and nowhere has there been shown a
greater or more striking example of its effects than in industrial New Eng-
land, one of the greatest manufacturing regions of the world. Even in such
a region as this, among such giants of material progress, there stand out
certain names as, at once, peculiarly typical and peculiarly prominent ex-
amples of the genius for affairs which has distinguished the entire people.
Such a name is Williams, the patronymic of an old and distinguished New
England family, whose members from earliest colonial times have played a
prominent part in the affairs of the community, and have during the past
few generations built up one of the greatest industries of its kind in the
world.

The American ancestor of this notable house was one Robert Williams,
who came to this country from England in or before 1638, in which year he
was admitted as a freeman at Roxbury. Massachusetts. For six genera-
tions, down to the time of James Baker Williams, the father of the gentle-
man whose name heads this sketch, we have a list of distinguished clergy-
men, doctors and soldiers, who served their country and fellowmen in all
manner of self-sacrificing and disinterested ways.

The life of James Baker Williams, however, fell upon the time when the
need for industrial and commercial development, if not the paramount, was

124 Damp gflaniato aBilUams

at least one of the most important in the country, and quick to perceive the
opportunity which the new conditions offered, he turned his attention to
these matters. The opening of his career certainly did not suggest a great
future, or rather would not to-daj-, with our more impatient outlook, for Mr.
Williams started life as a clerk in a drug store on the munificent salary of
twenty-five dollars a year. However, like so many of his place and genera-
tion, he turned the little to the great by the alchemy of his cleverness and
industry, until the outcome was the great J. B. Williams Company, manu-
facturers of shaving soap, known wherever civilized man uses the razor.

David Willard Williams, the second child of James Baker and Jerusha
(Hollister) Williams, was born April 12, 1853. at Glastonbury, Connecticut,
where his father had moved at the beginning of his career as a manufacturer,
from the ancestral home at Lebanon in the same State. The childish asso-
ciations of the boy were with Glastonbury and there, at the local schools, he
obtained a general education. He also attended the .Sheffield School, at Yale
University, 1873-75, ^ member of the class of '76, but did not take his last
year of study, because of ill health. In 1876 he entered the employ of J. B.
Williams & Company, manufacturers of soaps, as traveling salesman. In
1880 he began the manufacture of soaps on his own account, as head of the
firm of D. W. Williams & Company. In 1885 the J. B. Williams Company
was incorporated, succeeding J. B. Williams & Company, and buying out
D. W. Williams & Company. D. W. Williams was made superintendent of
the new company, and later vice-president. His father died March 2, 1907,
and D. W. Williams at once succeeded him as president of the J. B. Wil-
liams Company, but though he continued his eft'ective management he did
not live much over two years longer in which to carry out his plans, his
death occurring June 8, 1909, when only fifty-six years of age. Besides his
presidency of the soap manufactory, Mr. Williams was associated with
many other important institutions as director and in various other capac-
ities, exhibiting in each case the same genius for management.

But it was not merely as a man of business that Mr. Williams distin-
guished himself in connection with his home city. Before he had even
entered business, he had interested himself in political and economic ques-
tions, and this interest, as he grew older, became a strong fondness for the
problems of the practical conduct of local public affairs. He early gave his
allegiance to the Republican party, though not in any partisan sense, but
merely because he had independently arrived at conclusions corresponding
to the principles it stood for. With the local organization of his party he
allied himself and took an active part in politics, though without any
thought of ofiice or influence for himself. In the year 1893, without any
effort on his own part, he received the nomination of his party for the Gen-
eral Assembly of the State and was duly elected and reelected in 1895, serv-
ing for two terms in that body and making for himself an enviable reputa-
tion for disinterestedness and capability as a lawmaker. He was a con-
spicuous figure in the social circles of Glastonbury, and a member of a num-
ber of influential clubs there and elsewhere, among which may be named
the Hartford Club of that citv and the Yale Club of New York Citv. He was

DatitD minatn cailUams 125

also a member of the Society of the Sons of the American Revokition and of
the Society of Colonial Wars.

All his life, since he had attained the years of understanding, Mr. Wil-
liams had been connected with the First Church of Christ in Glastonbury,
and had participated in the work with ardor. Upon the incorporation of the
church in 1896 he was elected its president, an office he continued to hold
during the remainder of his life. At his father's death he succeeded him as
deacon, and in both of these offices he did most valuable service to the inter-
ests of religion. He was greatly concerned for the cause of religion gener-
ally, and was associated with many movements for advancing it, notably
with the Hartford Theological Seminary, of which he was a trustee.

Mr. Williams was twice married, his first wife being Helen Penfield
Rankin, a daughter of the Rev. S. G. W. Rankin, of Glastonbury, to whom
he was united in marriage, October 23, 1876. She died in the year 1901. On
August 30, 1905, Mr. Williams married (second) Jennie G. Loomis, the only
daughter of Judge Dwight Loomis, of Hartford, a sketch of whom precedes
this. Mrs. Williams survives her husband. To Mr. Williams by his first
wife there were born five children, as follows: Helen Louise, born in 1878;
James Willard, 1885; Mildred, 1887; Ruth Clarice, 1890; Isabel Stoddard,
1894. Of his second marriage there was born one son, Dwight Loomis, in
1909.

Mr. Williams' untimely death was a great loss to many important inter-
ests, to say nothing of the personal sorrow to those who had been fortunate
enough to know him well. Great indeed were the number of testimonials
which appeared on this sad occasion in the form of resolutions passed by the
organizations to which he belonged, as well as many others from newspaper
editorials to the letters of personal friends. It seems appropriate to give a
number of these, which show as nothing else can the position which he held
in the regard of his fellow citizens. The Business Men's Association of
Glastonbury passed resolutions which read in part as follows:

Whereas, Almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, has seen fit to remove from our
midst our esteemed friend and co-worker, Mr. David Willard Williams, and whereas,
we are deeply sensible of the loss sustained, not only by our association, but by the com-
munity at large : Now, therefore, be it Resolved, that it is the sense of this association to
express to the family of the deceased our heartfelt sympathy in the loss of so good a
husband and kind a father, whose private and public life were so blameless as to be an
example to the young and an inspiration to all with whom he came in contact. Although
his business duties, as head of an institution of world-wide reputation, were onerous, he
always found time to speak the kindly word and extend the helping hand. Mr. Williams
possessed not only the regard of his employees, but also their affections in a degree
quite unusual in the industrial world. He has always taken a deep interest in public
affairs and represented this, his native town, for two terms of the General Assembly,
where his grasp of affairs and breadth of sympathy obtained for him a wide acquaintance
and an enviable reputation.

A number of the great business concerns with which he was connected
also passed resolutions, among which were his own huge house, the J. B.
Williams Company, the Williams Brothers Manufacturing Company, and
the New England Gold and Copper Mining Company. Those passed by the
first of these read as follows :

126 Dat)iD CSIillatD muiitimfi

Resolved : That by the removal by death of David Willard Williams, the president
of this company, June 8, 1909, we have lost one, who by his kindly and aiTectionate
nature, his unfailing cheerfulness and courtesy, and loyalty to the interests of the com-
pany, had endeared himself to every one connected with it. That we all shall greatly
miss his genial presence and deeply deplore his loss as an associate, and to the com-
munity in which he exerted a large influence for good.

The testimonial of the New England Gold and Copper Mining Com-
pany read in part as follows:

In the passing by death of Mr. David W. Williams, the business world has lost a
strong factor. He was a staunch supporter of every honest worthy enterprise, ever
ready to lend his counsel and aid to that which measured up to the standard of right.
His keen perception, staunch integrity and never-failing loyalty made him a man to be
desired in any position. His strong hand grasp, ready smile and sweet comradeship
invariably won the hearts of his associates and inspired confidence in the sincerity of
his life. He was a man who moved quietly but with great force and effectively and
maintained the respect and good will of all. His life among us was a splendid example
of a strong upright Christian man who worked for a principle and never wavered from
his sense of right and duty.

Among the most valuable testimonials which appeared at the time of
his death were two sets of resolutions passed, the one by the First Church
of Christ in Glastonbury, and the other by the executive committee thereof.
They follow in the order given :

Whereas, in the Divine order of nature, David Willard Williams, president of the
corporation of the First Church of Christ in Glastonbury, and a member of its board of
deacons, has been removed from us by death, Resolved : That in his death the church
has lost a most efficient officer whose sincere devotion to all the interests of the church
was unceasing, and whose generous service of the church was in the spirit of Him who
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. That the church has lost a brother
beloved of all ; whose life was unspotted from the world ; whose love for his friends, his
neighbors, his associates in business, his employees, his fellow townsmen, his brethren
in the church, ever manifested itself in loving service ; whose human sympathies forgot
all social or religious or racial lines ; whose kindly and cordial manner won for him
many and devoted friends ; whose simple faith in God and whole-hearted love for Jesus
Christ quickened the faith and stimulated the service of all.

Those of the executive committee ran :

Whereas, It has pleased our Heavenly Father to take unto Himself our beloved
friend and counsellor, David Willard Williams, who for thirteen years was president
of the church corporation and of this committee ; therefore be it Resolved, That while
humbly bowing to Divine Wisdom, we, the officers of this church, do hereby express our
deep sorrow and regret over the loss of one so long the efficient head of this organization,
and one whose wise and loving counsel was always sought and freely given Also be it
Resolved, That these resolutions be spread upon the records of this committee, and a
copy sent to his family.

®tmotl;y AUijn

Ctmotljp iiKl. ailpn

*ROM the beginning of its historV; Hartford, Connecticut,
has been the home of distinguished men whose deeds have
written themselves upon the history of our country. Its
name has been associated with the names of those who
have formed a sort of aristocracy of intellect and culture,
and is representative of all that is best and most worthy
in the New England character. Perhaps among all the
groups of strong and virtuous men which the city has given birth to
and fostered to a ripe and capable manhood, there is none of which it
has more reason to feel proud than that long succession of merchants
and leaders of industrial enterprise who have done so much to develop
its material growth, and who have left the mark of their personalities
and ideals upon business in such a manner and to such an extent as to have
raised its standard throughout the country and given it a higher place
in the general regard. Typical of this group, of which, indeed, he was one
of the leaders for many years, was Timothy M. Allyn, than whom, during
the long period of his active career, no one was more closely identified with
the development of the city or took part in more various aspects of its life.
Timothy M. Allyn was born in 1800, in one of the old houses still stand-
ing just within the city limits near the Windsor line. The place was at that
time well out in the country, and consisted of a small farm owned by his
father, who cultivated it and made bricks to eke out his none too abundant
living. The family was large, and consisted of eleven children, of whom
Timothy was the youngest, a disadvantage under the circumstances, and
which was augmented by the fact that he was of delicate constitution and
generally in poor health. In him was exemplified, however, the health-
giving powers of the wholesome rural life in which the greatest possible time
is spent in the open air in the pursuit of occupations that develop not only
the body but the mental faculties. Like the sons of farmers in those days,
he was expected to aid with the work of cultivating the land, and, as he did
so, his health gradually improved until he had laid the foundation of the
great physical strength and endurance which remained with him during all
the latter part of his life and enabled him to continue his activities long after
the time when most men are obliged to abandon them. He persevered in his
work for his father until he had reached his majority, when he determined
to embark upon an enterprise of his own. For this purpose he very wisely
chose an occupation of which he had already had some experience, namely
that of making bricks, a task in which he had often assisted his father.
It was a task which involved much difficult labor, however, but at which
the young man worked with the greatest ardor, actually making with his
own hands as many as one hundred and twenty thousand bricks in the
course of a single year. Mr. Allyn's friends well remember hearing him
recount with much gusto the labors he accomplished in those days, which
involved hauling sand for mixture with the clay, the mixing process itself

128 Cimot!)p ^. mm

during- which he drove the cattle as they trod it together in the old-fash-
ioned manner, the cutting of wood for the kiln, the burning of the bricks,
the hauling to Hartford, and the final disposal of them there at the price of
four dollars and a half per thousand. It seems but a pitiful return for so
much hard labor, yet Mr. Allyn continued to make his livelihood thus for
a considerable period, before turning his hand to other things. It was the
period, however, when all eyes, especially all youthful eyes, were being
turned to the western part of this great continent and a multitude of tales,
some false or exaggerated, but many true, were circulated regarding the
opportunities that there awaited enterprise and courage. Like many of his
fellows, Mr. Allyn barkened readily to these accounts and in 1825, when he
had reached the age of twenty-five years, he took a position as a book sales-
man and traveled in Ohio and other parts of the middle west doing an
excellent business and laying aside a considerable portion of his earnings.
Two years later he took the little capital he had accumulated and, return-
ing to the east, took up his abode in New York City and there entered the
wholesale dry goods business. His venture was necessarily a small one at
the outset, but Mr. Allyn was g-ifted with unusual business perspicacity and
it was not long before his trade began to increase greatly and he was soon
the owner of a large establishment and making a great deal of money. The
dry goods business was in those days much simpler than it is now, but even
then it involved much detail, and this Mr. Allyn is said to have mastered
within six weeks. He did not remain a great while in New York, however,
but after three years, during which he had become an experienced and suc-
cessful merchant, he returned to his native city of Hartford and there, in
partnership with one of his brothers, founded the important dry goods house
with which he was identified so long. His brother retired from the firm after
a short time and Mr. Allyn continued it alone until the year 1848. The
directory of Hartford in 1843 contained the following direction: "T. M.
Allyn, commission merchant and wholesale dealer in American and foreign
dry goods, Nos. 9 and 11 Asylum street." This location is now occupied by
Gemmill, Burnham & Company's establishment. In 1848 he retired from
active business for a time, having amassed a very substantial fortune and
made a reputation as one of the most successful and trustworthy mer-
chants and business men in the city. His retirement was in part due to the
fact that other interests of his were becoming very large and required more
and more of his time and attention. These were his large property holdings
in the city which, with foresight, he had invested much of his fortune in,
foreseeing the rise in values that must accompany the increase in popula-
tion and rapid industrial development. He could not remain entirely aloof
from the business in which he had been so successful and grown to take so
great an interest, however, and he later became a partner of the firm of
Spencer, White & Company, engaged in the wholesale dry goods trade
at No. 22 Asylum street. In this, however, he did not actively engage in
the management of the concern. Besides his real estate interests, Mr. Allyn
became connected with a number of important corporations and financial
institutions in Hartford, which at once greatly increased his fortune and
gave the prestige and weight of his name and reputation to these concerns,

Cimotfjp £0. aUpn 129

a valuable financial asset in itself, to say nothing of the share he took in
their active management in his capacity of director. He held this office in
the Hartford Corporation, the Connecticut Western railroad, the Connec-
ticut Fire Insurance Company, the Hartford Steam Company, the Security
Company, the Spring Grove Cemetery, and the Connecticut School of
Design. He was also a director and at one time president of the Hartford
Carpet Company, and a very large stockholder in the Atlas Fire Insurance
Company. The property w^hich he owned in the city Mr. Allyn went about
developing in a way that should not only serve his own ends, but prove a
benefit to the community generally. Among the large and handsome
buildings, of which he erected many, may be mentioned the Charter Oak
Bank building and Allyn Hall, put up about i860. Altogether there were
but few men in Hartford at that time so prominent in the financial and
business world as Mr. Allyn, nor were there many fortunes as large as
his.

But it was not alone in this department of activity that Mr. Allyn was
active. It was almost inevitable that a man of his prominence and wealth
and of his public spirit, should be drawn into public life, especially as he took
so keen an interest in general political questions. He was one of those who
joined the Republican party early in its career, and from that time until the
end of his life he was a firm supporter of its principles. He early allied him-
self with its organization in Hartford and rapidly became a leader therein.
He was elected alderman, and served in that capacity for a number of years,
and was a member of the Water Commission for a time. In 1858 he was
elected mayor of the city, and held that office until the close of i860, and as
early as 1843 ^^^ had been sent from Hartford to the State Legislature.
From 1864 to 1867 he was major of the Putnam Phalanx, the best known
military body in the city.

Mr. Allyn was a man of strong philanthropic instincts, and he gave
generously to many charitable institutions and movements. He was highly
interested in the movement to establish industrial schools for those who
could not otherwise gain a training in the trades, and was one of the prin-
cipal supporters of the Industrial School for Girls at Middletown, Con-
necticut, as well as a director, and one of its principal buildings was erected
by him at a large cost and was known as the Allyn Home. He also ofi^ered
one hundred thousand dollars to the city of Hartford to be applied to the
founding of a similar institution for boys, an equal sum to be raised by the
city. This offer was declined. He was a man of strong but liberal views
in religion, and for a number of years was a member of the Unitarian
church which stood on the present site of the Charter Oak Bank. The
church was finally abandoned and as its site was sold to the banking cor-
poration, the building was disposed of to Trinity Church, and the material
used in the construction of the new church building on Asylum Hill. It
is illustrative of the general confidence reposed in Mr. Allyn that he should
have been chosen by both parties to the contract to conduct the nego-
tiations, and it is evidence of his tact and fairmindedness that they were
both satisfied.

CONN-Vol 111-9

I30 Cimotftp 60. align

Mr. AUyn was united in marriage with Miss Susan Pratt, and to them
were born seven children, four of whom survive their father. They are as
follows: Arthur W., whose rose to the rank of major in the United States
army, but resigned from the service in 1880, and is now engaged in a mer-
cantile business in Chicago; a son, who settled in Wisconsin, where he is
engaged in farming on a very large scale; another son, who has resided in
Europe for a number of years; and Robert, who became his father's business
assistant some few years before the latter's death, and whose sketch follows.
One of the deceased sons of Mr. Allyn was Justice Joseph Pratt Allyn, an
honored figure on the Arizona bench when the territorial government of
that region was organized.

The death of Mr. Allyn occurred August 25, 1882, and was the occasion
of universal mourning, since they were few indeed to whom his abilities
and activities had not made him known, and since this knowledge was not
wider than the affection and honor to which it gave birth. As a token of
this fact the manifold testimonials spoken and written on that sad occasion
are an abundant evidence; the press of Hartford and the State particularly
voicing the general feeling. From the "Hartford Daily Courant." which
printed a long obituary notice, the following excerpt is taken, which will
illustrate this sentiment and appropriately close this short sketch:

His familiar figure has been often seen on the streets, often in his carriage, of which
he was his own driver, or on horseback, where his striking resemblance to George Wash-
ington was a matter of general comment. This resemblance was marked a few years ago
when he was major of the Putnam Phalanx and dressed in the continental uniform. For
one of his advanced years, he has led for a long time rather an active life in looking after
his real estate interests, for he was one of the largest renters in the city. He was one of
Hartford's representative citizens, and his loss will be felt in many circles. * * ♦
To works of charity and philanthropy he has given with liberality in very many
instances, and in all enterprises involving the welfare of the city he has taken a lively
interest. The loss of such a man as T. M. Allyn is a matter of much moment to the
community.

^^

SRohert ailpn

^HE death of Robert Allyn on February 2, 1896, in Hartford,
Connecticut, deprived that city of one of its most promi-
nent and wealthy citizens, and a man who all his life had
been identified with the progress and advancement of the
community. He was a member of a family which had long
made its residence in that city, and the son of Timothy M.
Allyn, one of the foremost of its citizens in his day. The
Allyn arms are as follows: Paly of ten argent and azure. Over all a cross
potent or. Crest: A lion salient sable and a tower or and argent. Motto:
Fortiter Gcrit Cruccm.

Timothy M. Allyn was born in the year 1800 on his father's farm in the
vicinity of Hartford and there passed the years of his childhood and early
youth engaged in gaining his education and in the work of the farm. He
was the youngest of eleven children and much of his time was occupied in
working the brick kiln which his father ran in connection with his other
work. He cut the wood and mixed and baked the bricks and it is said that
he himself made in one year one hundred and twenty thousand bricks, which
were eventually sold in Hartford at the rate of four dollars and fifty cents a
thousand. He remained on the farm until he had reached the age of twenty-
five years, when he left the parental roof and went west as far as Ohio,
where he travelled for some time. Two years later he returned east and
settled for a time in New York City, where he was connected with a whole-
sale dry goods business for three years. In 1830 he came once more to
Hartford and this time located in the city proper, where, in partnership with
his brothers, he started a store on Asylum street. The venture was emi-
nently successful and Mr. Allyn, Sr., remained in business until the year
1848, when he retired entirely from his mercantile enterprises and devoted
himself to caring for his large estate. While still but a young man he had
foreseen the growth to which Hartford was destined, and with more than
usual business judgment had set himself to take advantage of it by wise and
extensive investments in real estate in the districts in which he believed the
development would prove greatest. The event justified his policy. His prop-
erty rapidly grew in value and he soon began large building operations, erect-
ing in i860 the well known hotel called Allyn Hall and a little later the Char-
ter Oak Bank Building and a number of other large and important edifices.
His activities were by no means purely selfish, for although he was of course
made wealthy by these operations the city generally was also greatly stimu-
lated in its development and strongly benefited thereby. His services and
the general integrity and ability of his character were recognized by the
district in which he dwelt, and he was elected an alderman for several terms
and in 1858 became a member of the water commission for a period of three
years. He was a staunch Republican in politics and in 1843 was elected on
that party's ticket to the Connecticut State Legislature, in which body he

132 Roliertsnpn

most eflfectively represented his city. He was a man of very great public
spirit and had the welfare of his native city greatly at heart. He at one
time offered it the sum of one hundred thousand dollars on the condition
that an equal sum be raised for the founding of an industrial school for boys,
and later offered the AUyn Hall Building and forty thousand dollars in cash
for a library for the Young Men's Institute, but unfortunately the city was
not in a position to take advantage of either offer. For many years Timothy
M. Allyn was a member of the Unitarian church. He was very liberal in his
religious views, but a staunch and practical Christian, and after his death a
beautiful memorial was erected to him in the shape of the Allyn Chapel in
the Spring Grove Cemetery. He was a man who left a lasting influence
upon the community in which he dwelt and a memory which will always be
honored. He was married to Susan Pratt, a daughter of Joseph Pratt. To
them were born seven children, of whom Robert Allyn, the subject of this
sketch, was the youngest. Timothy M. Allyn died in the year 1882, and
Mrs. Allyn survived him about six years.

Robert Allyn was born March 8, 1849, i^i the city of Hartford, where he
made his home during his entire life. He was educated in Hartford, and
after completing his education turned to the management of his estate. At
the time this was left him by his father it was already of great value, con-
sisting principally of valuable real estate properties, and since that time, as
a result of both the natural increase of properties incident to the growth of
the city, and the skillful management of Mr. Allyn, this value has been
greatly added to. About 1889 Mr. Allyn took charge of the management of
the Allyn House, which up to then had been under the direction of a cousin,
the late Robert J. Allyn. He had always taken an interest in the manage-
ment of the property, but after his cousin's death he superintended the
whole matter, although his name was never publicly associated with the
management of the hotel. Before his death Mr. Allyn was one of the
wealthiest men in the community and paid taxes on property valued at four
hundred thousand dollars.

Mr. Allyn was a very public-spirited man and was interested in many
of the movements for the advancement of the community. He was a mem-
ber of the Republican party and a keen and intelligent thinker on political
subjects, although he never entered actively into the affairs of his city. Mr.
Allyn was married, January 30, 1877, to Alice Belle Main, of Brooklyn, Con-
necticut, a daughter of Elias H. and Sarah S. (Dorrance) Main, of that
place. To them were born two children, who, with their mother, survive
Mr. Allyn. They are Robert J. and Dorothy Belle. Robert J. Allyn married
Louise Graham ; they live in Hartford and have one daughter, Mary Belle.

The character of Mr. Allyn was one which won respect and recognition
in all quarters. To the fundamental virtues of an unimpeachable integrity
and a tolerant outlook upon life and his fellows he added the graces of
enlightenment and culture, ease of manner, conversational powers and the
cosmopolitan breadth of vision. He was fond of social intercourse with con-
genial spirits, and was a pleasure to his friends and an ornament to those
functions, which a man of prominence must constantly attend in the pursu-

-"'^ftl;!!?!

^v9-"

Kobettailpn

133

ance of his ends and duties. But despite his social tastes and powers he was
possessed of all the domestic virtues and found the greatest happiness in the
society of his own household and the pleasures of his home. His death was
felt as a loss throughout the communit)^ which all his life had been his home
and the scene of his busv activities.

3(oI)n ifltClarp

'HE spirit which is willing to give the majority or any large
fraction of its time and energy in the service of its fellows
is not of such frequent occurrence to-day that we can afford
to pass it by without comment and commendation. There
are many ideals abroad at present, some better, some worse,
and it is encouraging to note that more and more stress and
emphasis is coming to be laid on the former, nevertheless it is
only too obvious that, lay it to what cause we will, there is a pretty strong
proclivity for each to take care of himself without much regard for the other
fellow. It is the more refreshing, therefore, when we happen upon some con-
spicuous example of the contrary intention and note the career of a man who
is content to pass the major part of his life in the public service, and sacrifice,
not only the reward which might otherwise accrue as the result of his
efforts, but even the comforts of a permanent home, so dear to the hearts of
all. Nor does it minimize the lesson to be learned from such a career to
know that, when at length the energies were turned to private ends, the
highest success was realized, but rather emphasizes still further the self-
restraint involved in turning such faculties to a task from which the personal
return must of necessity be totally incommensurate with the service rend-
ered. Such was the case in the life of Mr. John McClary, whose death in
Hartford on July 7, 1909, removed from that city one who, despite his long
employment in the government service, had, in the comparatively short time
he had devoted to it, made himself one of the most successful business men in
the city.

John McClary was of Scotch parentage and inherited his full share of
the positive virtues of his race, courage, perseverance and practical common
sense, which have proved so valuable an element in weaving the fabric of
American citizenship. The arms of the McClary family are : Or. A chevron
azure between three roses gules. Both his parents, John and Ellen (Reilly)
McClary, were natives of Glasgow, Scotland, and there passed their youth
and were married. They later emigrated to the United States and made
their home in Boston, where John McClary Jr. was born. While he was yet
but a little lad his parents moved once more, this time to Wakefield, Massa-
chusetts, and it was in that town that he was reared and there his youthful
associations were formed. It was in Wakefield also, that he attended school
and received his education up to the age of fifteen years. Two years prior to
this there occurred an event which modified his whole subsequent life, as it
did that of many millions besides. This was the outbreak of the Civil War,
in 1 861, when Mr. McClary was only thirteen years of age, an age which
rendered it impossible for him to enlist in spite of his youthful desire to do
so. However, in 1863, he left school and was given a place in the Signal
Corps of the United States Army, in which he saw active service until the
close of hostilities. He came into close contact with many of the stirring
events of those days, and was actually in the Ford Theatre in Washington

3Iof)n 00cCIarp 135

and witnessed the assassination of the great President, and experienced all
the excitement and violent feeling of those days. He did not give up his posi-
tion in the Signal Service at the end of the w^ar, but retired for a time and,
returning North, took up his abode with his sister, Mrs. Mary Wetherby, in
Springfield, Massachusetts. He made his home with his sister in Spring-
field for a number of years and during that time became associated with
Colonel Bartholomew and James L. Thompson in the Adams Express Com-
pany, a connection which continued for a considerable period. In the latter
part of the year 1868 Mr. McClary resumed active work for the Signal Ser-
vice and went West with his young wife, whom he had recently married.
His work was in connection with the Weather Bureau, and involved con-
siderable moving from place to place, so that they resided at different times
in Chicago, Texas, and various parts of Idaho, and, indeed, wherever they
were ordered. Their last home in the West was in California where they
were stationed about i8go, and the following year he gave up active service
and returned to the East. Mr. and Mrs. McClary now made their home in
Hartford, Connecticut, and there he bought out the woodworking factory
and from that time on devoted his attention to its operation. In this enter-
prise he was highly successful and developed a very large business, taking
his place among the ranks of Hartford's substantial business men. He con-
tinued actively in this line until within a short time of his death.

Although a very strong Republican in politics and keenly interested in
the issues which confronted the country in that day, Mr. McClary never
cared to enter the political arena actively, though he did his best as a private
citizen to further the causes in which he believed. He was, however, very
active in the social and club life of Hartford, after taking up his residence in
that city, and his name was included in many of the most important and
influential organizations. He was, for instance, a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic, the Army and Navy Club and the Masonic order, in
the latter of which he had attained the thirty-second degree, and was a
member of Washington Commandery, Knights Templar, and Mecca Temple,
Mystic Shrine. His afiiliations in the matter of religion were with the Epis-
copal church, in the work of which he was also active, one very effective way
in which he served for many years was as a chorister, he being possessed of
a very fine voice.

On September 28, 1868, while still a resident of Springfield, Massachu-
setts, Mr. McClary was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Cutler, of Bos-
ton, a daughter of Nathan M. and Columbia (Shearer) Cutler, of that city.
Mr. Cutler was himself a native of Farmington, Maine, a son of Judge
Nathan M. Cutler, but lived the major part of his life in Boston, where he
held a position as inspector in the United States Customs House until his
death. His wife was born in Palmer, Massachusetts, and was the daugh-
ter of Judge Daniel and Sarah (King) Shearer. Sarah (King) Shearer was
a daughter of Jesse King, 3rd, of Palmer, Massachusetts, of an early and
prominent family in that neighborhood. Jesse King, 3rd, married Mary
Graham, daughter of Rev. Mr. Graham, of Pelham. Mr. and Mrs. Cutler
both died when their daughter. Mrs. McClary, was a little girl, and she was
brought up by her aunt, Mrs. A. V. Blanchard, of Palmer, Massachusetts.

136 3lo!)n e^cCIatp

Mr. McClary erected a very handsome residence at No. 56 Highland avenue,
Hartford, all the fine v^oodwork used in the construction of which came
from his ow^n factory.

The life which is most worthy of honor is that which has been of the
greatest value to the greatest number of its fellows, and surely those should
rank high in the scale who have given up their time and individual ambitions
in the service, of one kind or another, of their country, as did Mr. McClary.
For many years he and Mrs. McClary were denied what might be called a
really permanent home, and wandered hither and yon about the West in the
discharge of duties for which he was paid but a small return, when gauged
by what his abilities afterwards earned when directed to his private ends.
But at no time did it ever enter his mind to complain, and it was character-
istic of him that he worked as cheerfully and energetically at the public
tasks as at his own. It is pleasant to set down the record of such a life as
this, which may well serve as an example to his community in the future.

3cil)n CotitJington Ikinm^

OHN CODDINGTON KINNEY, whose death on April 22,
1891, caused universal mourning throughout the city of
Hartford, Connecticut, which had been his home for so
many years, was one of the best known and most beloved
citizens of that place, having been identified with all that
was best in its growth and progress during the long period
of his residence there. He was not a native of Hartford,
nor of New England at all for that matter, although his people had origi-
nally come from the Nutmeg State, and his father was born there. Some
time previous to his birth the family had moved to New York State and
settled in the town of Nassau, where his father, the Rev. Ezra Dennison
Kinney, had charge of a church.

John Coddington Kinney, or Major Kinney as he became, was born in
Nassau, New York, February 21, 1839, but the following 5^ear was taken to
Darien, Connecticut, by his parents, and ever thereafter made his home in
that State. He grew up in Darien and attended the excellent local schools
of the place, where he obtained the preliminary portion of his education.
He was very bright in his studies, and both at this time and later distin-
guished himself in his classes to the extent of drawing the favorable notice
of his professors and instructors upon his work. After completing his
course in the schools and gaining a first rate foundation in the essentials, he
matriculated in Yale College, where he soon made a large reputation for
himself both as a student and a popular member of the undergraduate body.
The class of which he was a member held a number of celebrated men, who
afterwards took prominent places in difl:'erent departments of life in various
parts of the country. Among these was Simeon E. Baldwin, who later
became Governor of Connecticut ; Tracy Peck ; Justice H. B. Freeman ; Bray-
ton Ives and S. H. I.yman. There was also the late E. R. Sill, the well
known lyrical poet, of whom Major Kinney was a warm friend and admirer,
a strong attachment existing between the two, who had many points of
sympathy and many grounds of congenial interest and common belief.
Major Kinney graduated with the class of 1861 and though his subsequent
life, of course, took him away from any close association with the college,
yet he always retained his feelings of profound love and veneration, as well
as gratitude for his alma mater, and it was, indeed, one of the honors which
he most prized, that on the occasion of the inauguration of Professor
Dwight as president of Yale, he was chosen marshal for the occasion.

During his childhood and early youth Major Kinney had been strongly
under the influence of religious feeling and belief, and it had been his inten-
tion to enter the ministry as had his father before him, but this determina-
tion was rudely altered by the outbreak of the Civil War. The enthusiasm
and patriotism of times like that are hard to appreciate in the midst of more
quiet circumstances, and we find it difficult to picture to ourselves the
strengh of emotion which will reverse in a moment the cherished projects of

138 3fol)n CoDDington l^innep

a lifetime. Yet so it is. Joining with the great wave of those who placed
patriotism and the cause of the Union before all personal considerations, he
enlisted in the United States Army as a member of Company A, Thirteenth
Regiment of Infantry, Connecticut \^olunteers. He was offered a commis-
sion at the time, but this he declined, preferring rather to serve as a private
in the ranks until through merit he had actually won his promotion. His
experience in the war was a perilous and eventful one, and through those
long years between November, 1861, when he enlisted, and August 12, 1865,
when he was mustered out, he had much hard campaigning and fighting to
do. The Thirteenth Connecticut was quickly in the midst of active service,
and it was not long before the young private won his commission for bravery
and efficient service. Wounded at the battle of Irish Bend, Louisiana, he
was soon able to join once more the colors, and was with the expedition
under General Banks early in 1864. In the month of May in the same year,
he was detailed to the signal service, and had the distinction of being placed
with Admiral Farragut, on board that officer's flagship, "Hartford." Farra-
gut's fleet was at that time preparing for the ascent of Mobile Bay, and in
the famous engagement that followed, Major Kinney was a participant.
Not only that but he was actually in the mainmast with Farragut, and with
his signals, transmitting his orders to the fleet. It was a position and an
office of peril, but the young soldier performed it well and lived to enjoy the
recollection of it. Indeed, his recitals in after years of these and many other
experiences during the dreadful war, were the delight of many, possessing
as they did a simplicity and directness which robbed them of the least sug-
gestion of ostentation, and a vividness of description which brought before
his hearers with wonderful distinctness the scenes of long ago. There was
a great charm in these tales and many times did he have to repeat them for
the entertainment of his household and friends. On August 12, 1865, he was
honorably discharged from the service, but he did not return North to his
Connecticut home at once, having become interested in property and farm-
ing in Florida. In association with Judge V. B. Chamberlin, he went to that
State and there conducted a plantation for a period of two years. In 1867
he returned to Connecticut, where he took up newspaper work, in which he
continued until within a year of his death. For some time he was in Water-
bury, Connecticut, where he was connected with the "Waterbury Ameri-
can," much of the time in the capacity of editor, but in 1872 he removed to
Hartford and joined the staff of the "'Courant," remaining for eighteen
years. During this time he served in many varying capacities for the paper,
and always retained the strongest interest in the success of the publication,
even after retiring from active connection with it, and always continued
an occasional contributor and a daily visitor. His influence on public opin-
ion while on the stafl:" of the "Courant," through the medium of the sheet,
was certainly very great, and not less admirable, his pure, disinterested atti-
tude setting a high standard for newspaper utterance.

No man was ever more retiring and less anxious to stand in the public
eye than Major Kinney, and. though always keenly interested in political
issues and the conduct of public affairs, both local and national, he never
sought to hold office. His ability was so marked and his disinterestedness so

31oJ)n CoDDington l^innep 139

obvious, however, that his fellow citizens would not let him remain in the
obscurity of private life, and on a number of occasions elected him to offices
of various kinds. In the year 1882 he was appointed United States Marshal
and served in that capacity for four years, and in 1890 he was appointed by
President Harrison postmaster of Hartford. It was on the occasion of his
taking this new office that Major Kinney gave up his connection with the
"Courant," as he felt that his duties were of so large and responsible a kind
that they should not divide his attention with any other matter. It is a
remarkable fact and one well illustrating the essential disinterestedness of
the man, that for both these important offices, that of marshal and that of
postmaster, his name was proposed by others quite unknown to himself, so
that the appointments both came as surprises to him. In these posts, as in
all the others he had at any time filled, the duties of the offices were filled
to the entire satisfaction of his fellow citizens, political friend and foe alike,
all of whom united in praise of him. The conduct of the postoffice had
never been better than under his rule, and he would doubtless have caused
still further improvements had not his death occurred only the following
year and stopped the good work.

It was not alone in newspaper and political circles that Major Kinney
was active in Hartford. During the nineteen years in which he made that
city his home, there was scarcely a department of activity of real value in
which he was not a participant. No movement could be proposed for the
advancement of the community which was not sure of his aid and support,
if in his judgment it was feasible. His judgment, too, was excellent, and
while generous in the extreme he nevertheless quickly detected what was
weak or impracticable. He was a prominent figure in the social world of
the city, and a member of many of the most important clubs and other organ-
izations there. It was, of course, natural that military organizations and
those based on military service of some kind should be particularly interest-
ing to him, and such was the case. The company known as the Governor's
Foot Guard was particularly dear to him and for many years he gave it con-
stant attention and thought. He was largely instrumental in securing the
new armory for the body, and in many ways was of the greatest service to
it. He was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati, of the Sons of the
American Revolution, of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the Loyal
Legion. He was one of the original members of the Army and Navy Club
of Hartford, and its secretary from the time of its foundation until his death.
Major Kinney was greatly interested in the problem ofi^ered by our treat-
ment of the American Indians, and was a recognized authority on the sub-
ject. He was accordingly appointed secretary of the Mohonk Indian Con-
ference, and held that office for a number of years.

Major Kinney was married, March 7, 1867, to Miss Sara E. Thomson,
of New Haven, a daughter of Dr. Charles Steele and Susan Coit (Belcher)
Thomson. Mrs. Kinney was a most congenial companion for her husband,
being fond of most of the things of which he was. and with many tastes and
beliefs in common. She is a member of the Daughters of the American
Revolution, and for fourteen vears was State Regent for Connecticut. She

I40 31ol)n CoDDington Mnmy

survives her husband and is one of the most prominent figures in Hartford
social life.

Major Kinney was undoubtedly a most unique character, combining, as
he did, so many traits which are not often met together in one personality.
His life was grounded on the basic virtues of honor, sincerity, justice, and a
strong unshaken purpose. Yet withal he was one of the most gentle souls,
and easily moved by the misfortunes of others, and always ready to hold out
a helping hand to the unfortunate, without stopping to inquire too curiously
how they had come by their ill luck. It was not only with material aid that
he assisted his needy fellows. His whole nature went out to theirs with
such a ready and spontaneous sympathy, that hearts were healed by the very
atmosphere of cheer that emanated from him. Honesty spoke in his every
word and manner, so that people instinctively trusted him and felt no further
concern for that for which he had made himself responsible. Particularly
was this so in the matter of public office, and the conduct of whatever matter
he was put in charge, was left without question to him, in the confidence
that his honor and judgment would amply safeguard it. Nor was he more
lacking in the graces of culture and refinement than in these more funda-
mental virtues. As a companion he was simply charming, his conversational
powers being of the greatest, though one of their chief charms was their
delightful simplicity — one might almost call it naivete. The vivid fresh-
ness of his tales of his past experiences has already been commented upon,
and to this power he added that of wit and quiet humor and the ability to
"speak on his feet." He was consequently in great demand as a speaker
and was that rara avis, one who can make a delightful and instructive after-
dinner address. His home life was an ideal one, the relations of the house-
hold harmonious, and his companionship with his wife one of the strongest
factors in his life. His death, which occurred at the early age of fifty-two
years, cutting short a most valuable career at its very zenith of achievement,
was felt as a personal loss, not only by the members of his immediate family
and the host of devoted friends which his winning personality had gathered
around him, but by the community at large, but few of whose members had
not benefited by his activities and example. It seems fitting to close this
sketch with the words of the paper, which in an article written at the time
of his death, said in part as follows:

A brave, loyal and honest heart * * * everyone knew him, and everyone who
did respected him for courageous devotion to what was right, his frank, outspoken way
and his honesty. The only use he had for duplicity was to despise it. There was never
any doubt as to where he stood on any question, and yet there was always an almost
womanly gentleness of nature that endeared him to all.

He was a singularly helpful man, always ready to serve another. In private life he
was always freighted with the cares of others who turned to him because of the certainty
of his sympathy and aid, and in public affairs when anything was to be done, the rest of
us ceased to be anxious about it if Major Kinney agreed to undertake the work.
*********

The man who came to Hartford a stranger in 1872, he dies, one of the most widely
known men in the city, leaving it better for the work he has done.

i

y

€t)toin Strong

AJOR EDWIN STRONG, whose death on April 6, 191 1, at
the age of sixty-seven years, deprived the city of Hartford,
Connecticut, of one of its best known and most honored
citizens, was a member of old New England stock, his family
having made their residence in Hartford for many years.
His parents were Ezra and Harriet (Rowley) Strong, whose
fine, old-fashioned dwelling at No. 79 Church street on the
corner of Ann street, still stands as the family home. Ezra Strong was
engaged in the business of book binding and making of maps, and he estab-
lished an enviable reputation for himself as a responsible and capable man of
business. He died at the early age of forty-one years, just in the prime of
life, leaving a considerable fortune to his family, consisting of considerable
Hartford real estate and other valuable property.

Major Edwin Strong was born November 19, 1843, ^^ the old family
mansion on Church and Ann streets, where he continued to make his home
during his entire life. He received his education in the schools of his native
city, attending for some years the local public schools, including the high
school, and later taking a course at Bird's well known school for boys. He
was possessed of an alert mind and did well in his studies, drawing the favor-
able attention of his teachers to himself and his work. The elder Mr. Strong
had shown great foresight in his selection of sites for investment, and among
the properties which had come to the hand of his son was that very valuable
plot adjacent on the north to Exchange corner on Main street, together
with the business building standing thereon. With so great an estate to
look after. Major Strong's time and attention were well filled, and to this he
also added the management of other financial interests.

From an early age he had taken a keen interest in the political questions
and issues with which the community were confronted. He was equally
interested in local and national issues and turned to the principles and
policies of the Republican party as the best solutions to be found. He was
always a staunch supporter of these principles, and cast his ballot for the
candidates of that party. Wishing to identify himself more closely with the
organization, he became a member of the Republican Club of Hartford, and
was speedily drawn into active participation in local affairs and politics.
Possessed of considerable energy and strongly interested in the cause, he
made himself valuable to the party, and was soon under consideration by the
local leaders as a possible candidate for office. His strength and availability
were greatly increased by the large following of personal friends and
admirers, which his attractive and manly personality had made for him
among the young men of the district, and in 1873 he became the candidate
for city councilman for the old second ward. After an exciting campaign,
in the course of which the youthful candidate did some excellent work, he
was triumphantly elected. Major Strong was at the time of his election not
yet thirty years of age, but he served his term to the eminent satisfaction of

142 OBDtoin Strong

his constituents and the community generally. He was twice returned to
the office, in 1882, and again the year following. Major Strong's interest
was not of the personally interested sort that actuates only too many of our
politicians of to-day. On the contrary, it was of a very public-spirited and
altruistic order, and its mainspring was the real good of the community. As
time went on he became more and more interested in the question of provid-
ing for the poor of the city, and in 1903 was appointed by Mayor Alexander
Harbison to serve on the Board of Charity Commissioners. He was also
deeply interested in the cause of education and served for twelve years as a
member of the board of the Brown School, serving in that capacity at the
time of his death.

He was a very young man at the outbreak of the Civil War, but in 1865
he enlisted in Company F, Hartford City Guard, or as it was then called,
Battery D, Connecticut National Guard, and served with his company for a
term of five years. Later he entered the \^eteran City Guard Battalion and
was very prominent in the organization. He was the recipient of rapid pro-
motion and in 1908 was made major of the corps. He was a faithful sup-
porter of the Pearl Street Congregational Church, of Hartford, materially
aiding with effort and money many of the philanthropies and benevolences
connected with the work in the city.

The name of Major Strong was closely identified in the minds of the
people of Hartford with the development and progress of their city. Con-
servative and prudent as was his mind, it was none the less open to convic-
tion and the innovation which really offered a substantial advantage did
not have to await its establishment before enlisting his sympathy and aid.
This characteristic of the man was well typified in his home, the old house
at the corner of Church and Ann streets, a landmark of the olden times, the
venerable dwelling being the first in Hartford to be fitted with gas fixtures
and to use that new illuminating medium at the time of its introduction.
This structure was sold by Mrs. Strong to the Young Women's Christian
Association.

Major Strong was a man of very broad views and sympathies, which
found expression not only in what is known as public spirit, but in charity
and tolerance and that most altruistic virtue, a democratic attitude towards
his fellow-men of whatever position and wherever found. His generosity
was great. It has already been remarked that he was greatly interested in
the question of public charities, and served for some time on the commission
which had that branch of the city's activities under control. This activity
naturally brought him very largely into public notice, and he became one of
the most conspicuous figures in Hartford, where the respect and admiration
in which he was held amounted to a very genuine affection. Not less was
this so in the purely private relations which bound him to his family and
friends. This being so it is not surprising to note how deeply and generally
was felt the loss occasioned by his death.

Major Strong married, October 29, 1874, Annie Forbes, a native of
East Hartford, daughter of Charles and Mary Ann Forbes, of that town.
To Major and Mrs. Strong were born four children : i . Grace Carleton, died
aged fourteen months. 2. Edwin Allen, a member of the well known Wall

OEDtoin Strong

143

street firm of Harris, Winthrop & Company ; married Theodora Beinicke, of
New York City, where they reside; they have one child, Elizabeth. 3. Louie
Palmer, who was well known in insurance circles, having been connected
with the Aetna Life Insurance Company, of Hartford; he died on Decora-
tion Day, 191 1, at the age of thirty-two years. 4. Annie Strong Baxter; has
one child, Barbara Strong Baxter; they are residents of New York City.

Samuel Hassett

LTHOUGH Samuel Bassett was a native of New York City
and his family were all New Yorkers, yet all the associations
of the busy active years of his manhood are with the town
of New Britain, Connecticut, which was his chosen home
during the greater portion of his life, and which in his death
on August 14, 191 1, lost one of its most distinguished citi-
zens and one who had its interests most closely at heart. Mr.
Bassett was the son of William A. and Glovina (Ryder) Bassett. both of
New York, the former of whom lost his life while in charge of the New York
news fleet when his son was but sixteen months of age, so that the latter
had no recollection of him. .Samuel Bassett was born in New York City,
September 25, 1841, and there spent much of his boyhood, attending a
private school for the elementary part of his education, and later completing
his studies at the Classical and Commercial Institute in Port Chester, New
York, from which he graduated October i, i860. He distinguished himself
in his studies, drawing the favorable regard of the professors and instructors
upon him and making the most of the liberal education which he thus en-
joyed. He had been out of school but a short time when the bitter disputes
between the opponents and supporters of slavery reached a climax, in the
outbreak of the Civil War, and Mr. Bassett was prompt to respond to the
needs of the Union and enlist in the army. He saw much active service and
became first a first lieutenant in the One Hundred and Thirty-fifth New
York Infantry, and later as captain in the Sixth New York Heavy Artillery.
In the same regiment as Mr. Bassett were three young men, brothers and
members of a family of Smiths, which had long been resident in Peekskill,
New York. These young men w^ere friends of Mr. Bassett, who in 1862,
while the war was still raging, was married to Miss Jennie Smith, their
sister. She was a daughter of Philip and Mary Smith, of Peekskill, where
they occupied a very prominent position socially. The wedding was cele-
brated September 2, 1862, and among the guests was Chauncey M. Depew,
who had known Mrs. Bassett all through her girlhood. Mrs. Bassett joined
her husband in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, while he was located there
during the war, but was unable to stay any great length of time, as the Con-
federate army took from her everything she had, including her wedding
dress and other clothes, so that she was obliged to return to New York in a .
calico dress.

At the close of the war Mr. Bassett returned to the North and for a
time found employment as paymaster in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. During
the five-year period which he spent in this work, he met the late Mr. Andrew
Corbin, who was at the time looking after his business interests in New
York City. Mr. Corbin was impressed with the ability and sterling good
qualities of the young man and offered him a place in the concern of the P.
and F. Corbin Company, of New Britain, Connecticut. The position was to
be that of paymaster, and Mr. Bassett accepted at once, accompanying Mr.

Samuel ISassett 145

Corbin back to the Connecticut town, when he returned there in 1872. From
that time on Mr. Bassett made New Britain his permanent home until the
day of his death, and grew more and more closely identified with the life of
the city, taking a most active part in business, politics and every other move-
ment of importance connected with the place. He remained for sixteen
years in the employ of the Corbin concern, but long before the expiration of
that period he had become a conspicuous figure in the political world, and
had held a number of offices of responsibility and trust. It was not, indeed,
more than five years after his making his home in the town that Mr. Bassett
was chosen first selectman of the town, holding that position from 1877 until
1893, when he resigned to accept the appointment of President Cleveland as
postmaster of New Britain. He continued to be postmaster until 1898, when
he accepted the nomination of his party for Lieutenant-Governor of the
State. Mr. Bassett was a Democrat, and he realized that his chances of
election were exceedingly slim in a State where the normal Republican ma-
jority was very large. He did not hesitate, however, for any fear of lost
prestige, but showed his devotion to his party and its aims by at once accept-
ing the nomination. As he expected, the party ticket was defeated, but Mr.
Bassett did not discontinue his efiforts in the cause of his party and its prin-
ciples. In the year 1900 he was nominated for mayor of New Britain on the
Democratic ticket, and was elected to that office on that occasion and twice
after that held the same office. During his term as mayor he was chosen to
fill the office of a selectman who had died, and it thus came about that he
acted in the double capacity for some time. In the spring of 1910, he was
appointed a member of the Board of Assessors by Mr. Halloran who was at
that time mayor.

Mr. Bassett's interests and activities were not, however, limited to the
spheres of business and politics. He was a prominent figure socially in New
Britain, and belonged to most of the important social and fraternal organi-
zations in the place. He was particularly prominent in the Masonic order,
and held a number of important offices. He was past master of Centennial
Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; high priest of Giddings Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons; master in Doric Council; grand master of the grand lodge;
grand high priest of the grand chapter, and grand master of the grand
council. Besides these Masonic offices Mr. Bassett was deputy chief of the
Red Men, past assistant quartermaster of the Putnam Phalanx, and a
member of the New Britain l^odge of the Elks.

During his college days Mr. Bassett had become a member of the Epis-
copal church, but Mrs. Bassett was a Baptist and after his marriage to her,
he attended that church with her, becoming a devoted attendant at divine
service in the First Baptist Church of New Britain. His charity was of .a
large and comprehensive kind which included all men without reference to
creed, race or color, and he was ready to support any movement which
seemed to him for the advancement of the city or any of its members. He
served for a long period and with devoted energy on the board of directors
of the New Britain General Hospital.

The above is a record, more or less complete, of the formal relations of

CONN-Vol m_io

146 Samuel 15a00ctt

Mr. Bassett with the community of New Britain, but of the informal position
which he held in the minds and hearts of his fellow citizens it is not so easy
to speak with adequacy. His political career was an excellent example of
how personally popular he was, since, though a Democrat, he was honored
with the longest term as selectman and mayor that any one has enjoyed
there, though the place is something of a Republican stronghold. His elec-
tion, under these circumstances, three consecutive times to the office of
mayor was an honor that Mr. Bassett prized very highly, and he was prac-
tically as well pleased, during a campaign he made for the position of sheriflF
of Hartford county, that, though he was defeated, he nevertheless carried
every ward in the city of New Britain, his Republican home town. Such
esteem and afifection felt by a whole community for one man tells its own
tale, and declares him the possessor of those sterling qualities of character,
upon which alone such general recognition can be built. At the time of his
death the City Council met in special session to take appropriate action, the
city flag hung at half mast and practically all the city officials attended the
funeral in a body. His death was felt as a personal loss by a great number
of his fellow men, and all the news publications of the locality united in
declaring how greatly all would miss the cheer and .good spirits which radi-
ated from him.

Mr. and Mrs. Bassett were the parents of one child who died in infancy.
Mrs. Bassett survives her husband.

One reason for Mr. Bassett's great popularity was undoubtedly the
name he made for himself as the friend of the poor man. Scrupulous about
his appearance — he was known as the "silk hat mayor" — his democracy was
so essential in his nature that all men felt it instinctively, and the poor recog-
nized him as their champion. Among the concrete things that he performed
in their behalf was the introduction into New Britain of the practice of
regular weekly payment of wages to employees. This he first put into effect
in the offices of the Corbin people, and it was afterwards taken up by em-
ployers generally who realized the justice of the plan. One of the note-
worthy traits of Mr. Bassett was his great fondness for home and all the
relations of domestic life. Within the sacred precincts of his household he
was always cheerful and optimistic, never allowing outside troubles to in-
trude themselves upon the family circle. His devotion to his "ain fireside"
was quite remarkable in a man so greatly occupied with the conduct of public
affairs.

Clitoart) Hotoarti Preston

DWARD HOWARD PRESTON, whose untimely death on
December 7, 1912, cast a gloom over the town of Rockville,
Connecticut, and its environs, was undoubtedly one of the
best known and most popular figures of his time in that
section of the State. He was a member of a family which for
many years had made its home in Tolland county, his
parents being Dr. G. H. Preston and Sarah (Cogswell)
Preston, the former being a highly regarded physician of Tolland, where he
practiced medicine for many years. Edward Howard Preston was himself
born in the town of Tolland, Tolland county, Connecticut, on June 5, 1851,
and there passed his childhood and early youth until he reached the age of
seventeen years. In the meantime he had gained a first-class education in
the various local institutions of learning, the Monson Academy, and finally
the Connecticut Literary Institute, at Suffield, Connecticut. In this latter
institution he completed his studies, and upon graduation, left the parental
roof and repaired to Hartford, where he secured a position as errand boy in
the dry goods establishment of Talcott & Post, getting his start in the busi-
ness world from the bottom rung of the ladder. This was in the year 1868,
and he continued in the employ of this firm for upwards of twelve years,
during which time he was advanced rapidly to more responsible posts. His
quick and alert brain, his altogether sunny and winning personality, and his
capacity for steady hard work, made him a valuable adjunct to the business,
and won for him the promotions he received. But these qualities, though they
drew the favorable attention of his employers to himself, were in the end
the means of his separation from them. For thus it happened: The young
man was possessed of the worthy ambition to be independent in business,
and left no stone unturned to accomplish his end. At the end of twelve
years of earnest, intelligent labor, coupled with the most consistent frugal-
ity, he found himself in a position to realize his ambition and embark in
business on his own account. His first venture was in South Coventry,
whither he repaired and, with his brother-in-law, established a manufactory
of bed quilts. He continued in this line for the better part of a year, when
the opportunity arose for his purchasing the furniture and undertaking busi-
ness of Peter Wendheiser, who was well established in these lines in Rock-
ville at that time. Mr. Preston quickly availed himself of this opportunity,
and in the month of September, 1881, he removed to the town which for so
many years was to remain his home and the scene of his busy career. From
the outset his enterprise was successful, and under his capable management
he had before a great while developed a very large business and established
a most enviable reputation for reliability and integrity in the town. Mr.
Preston was thirty years of age when he came to Rockville upon his new
venture, and three years later, in 1884, he bought out the carpet business
of Henry & Grant, and adding it to the other lines he was already operating,
conducted them all with a high degree of success until the time of his death.

148 (ZBDtoarD l^otoacD Preston

From that time down he was regarded as one of the most substantial and
representative merchants of Rockville, and even as he grew in prominence
in business circles, so did he grow in the afifection of the community. As his
business came in time to be one of the largest of its kind in Tolland county,
his interests also widened, and he became connected with a number of im-
portant financial institutions, such as the People's Savings Bank, of which
he was a director for many years, and was eventually elected president, an
office which he held until his death. He was also a director of the Rockville
National Bank, the Rockville Building and Loan Association and of the
Rockville Fair Association Company. His connection with these concerns
gave him a place of much influence in financial and business circles, an in-
fluence which he always exerted in the most disinterested, unselfish direc-
tion, and to the best advantage of the community. He was extremely public
spirited, and was always interested deeply in any movement looking to the
welfare of the community, giving generously of time, money and energy
to its furtherance.

But it was not by any means as merely a business man that Mr. Preston
was prominent in his adopted community. He was an active participant in
many departments of the city's life, and prominent in all those wherein he
took part. He was a conspicuous figure in the social world of Rockville,
especially in connection with club and fraternity activities, being a member
of many orders and similar organizations. It is characteristic of Mr. Pres-
ton that whatever he entered he followed enthusiastically, and this was cer-
tainly true of his career in the Masonic order, of which he was a very promi-
nent member. He was a member of Fayette Lodge, No. 69, Free and Ac-
cepted Masons; Adoniram Chapter, No. 18, Royal Arch Masons, of Rock-
ville; Washington Commandery, of Hartford, Knights Templar; and the
Norwich Consistory, of Norwich. He had attained to the thirty-second
degree of Masonry. He was also a member of the Rising Star Lodge, Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows; Damon Lodge, Knights of Pythias; Rock-
ville Lodge, Ancient Order of United Workmen; Rockville Council, Order
of United American Mechanics; Court Hearts of Oak, Foresters of America.
Besides these orders he was member of the Rockville Business Men's Asso-
ciation, and an honorary member of the Rockville Turn Society. Mr,
Preston was closely identified with the local military organizations and was
a member, and later, a veteran of Company K, First Regiment, Connecticut
National Guard; and a lieutenant in the Putnam Phalanx of Hartford.

Mr. Preston was married, April 11, 1883, to Miss Isabelle E. Pinney, a
native of Ellington, Connecticut, and a daughter of the late Edwin Pinney,
of that town. Mrs. Preston survives her husband, as do also a brother,
George Preston, a prominent hardware merchant in Norwich, and a sister,
now Mrs. Henry Young, of Tolland.

It was more as a man, as a personality, than for anything formal which
he achieved in the business world or any other department of the com-
munity's activity, that Mr. Preston held the regard of his fellow citizens.
Indeed, in this direction he may be said to have held a unique position in
Rockville. His sunny good temper was proverbial, and attracted friends
until he doubtless possessed more than any other man in the city. "Ed"

(gPtoatP IDotoarD pregton 149

Preston belonged to the community in a very unusual manner, and quite
aside from any material advantage which may have accrued to the place
from his activities, his life is w^oven into the fabric of Rockville's history
and has become an essential part thereof. Never was this more emphatically
shown than on the sad occasion of his funeral. It was undoubtedly the
largest gathering that had ever drawn together in Rockville to do honor to
the memory of one of its citizens, and during the ceremony every place of
business, including even the saloons, were closed as by common consent.
The expressions of grief and respect were spontaneous and so universal that
the family felt a general acknowledgment was appropriate and printed a
card of thanks in the papers. It is fitting, however, that those who knew Mr.
Preston personally should have the last word in his praise, and accordingly
this sketch will close with their expressions. The Rockville papers, and, in-
deed, many of those in surrounding places, joined in a perfect chorus of
praise of the man and regret for his death. The "Hartford Globe" and the
"Springfield Republican" had prominent articles, and the local publications
noticed both his death and funeral most fully. The "I-eader" published an
article, two columns in length, in its edition of December 12, entitled "Casts
Gloom Over Entire Community," and in the same issue an appreciative
editorial. In the same paper of later date there appeared two accounts of the
funeral services, from one of which the following is quoted:

More eloquent than any written or spoken word was the funeral of the late Edward
Howard Preston, notice of whose death appeared in Tuesday's "Leader." It was a mag-
nificent tribute to the memory of this good man, who brought so much of joy and bright-
ness into the lives of others. Public services were held at 2.30 o'clock at the Union Con-
gregational Church, following prayers at the Preston residence on Park street for the
family and relatives. Church and chapel were not large enough to house those who
desired to pay their last tribute of respect to the memory of the deceased. Many who
were unable to get into the church, after the service was over, passed through the church
and viewed the remains. Many eyes were wet with tears.

"The Rockville Journal," in its issue of December 12, says in part :

This community was stunned by the news of the death of Edward H. Preston,
which occurred at i.io Saturday morning at his house on Park street, after a brief illness.
People at first were incredulous: they couldn't believe that genial "Ed" Preston, as he
was known to everyone, was no more ; they were dumfounded by the news ; it seemed as
if everything had come to a standstill ; all were appalled by the news and wondered how
the community could get along without him, he had been with us so long and filled such
a prominent place.

Mr. Preston had always been one of our most useful and active men, a splendid type
of citizenship ; genial and jolly, optimistic and overflowing with good nature. As one of
the many who had known him intimately remarked, he had never been seen out of
temper. He was genial and generous, always ready to listen to a call for assistance and
extend a helping hand, as many a person can testify.

The death of Mr. Preston is certainly a severe blow to Rockville, as one cannot
name a man who would be more missed. His activities were so many and varied, all of
which he entered into with enthusiastic and intelligent interest.

Rockville certainly suffered an irreparable blow in his death ; no one can exactly
fill the place he filled, either in a business sense or in the affections of his townspeople.

Not less than the papers were the various business concerns and social
organizations of which he was a member, in the expression of afifection and

ISO OBDtoarD l^otoatD Preston

sorrow. They all passed resolutions of a notable character. Those of the
People's Savings Bank were as follows :

Whereas, the untimely death on the 7th day of December, A. D. 1912, of Edward
Howard Preston, president of the People's Savings Bank since July, 1908, is keenly felt
by all officials in the bank in which he rendered a faithful service for over twenty-four
years and in whose welfare he manifested at all times a profound and abiding solicitude ;
and we sharing in the general grief and desiring to manifest our sensibility on the occa-
sion of his death : Therefore

Be it Resolved, That his broad kindliness of nature, his sweetness and gentleness of
character, his lofty integrity, his tender aiTections and home virtues, his glad hand and
his smile of sunshine, were among the many kindly and unselfish attributes which we
knew and loved. By us and by the community at large he will live in grateful memory
as a gentleman of noble heart, an affectionate husband and a sturdy friend.

The resolutions of the Rockville National Bank were:

Whereas, in the inscrutable wisdom of an omnipotent Providence, our friend and
fellow director, Mr. Edward H. Preston, has been suddenly removed from us by death,
therefore

Be it Resolved, That we deeply deplore the loss of a man of his sunny nature, one
who always had a pleasant word and a smile for old and young;

That we realize his loss to us in a business way, of his knowledge of men and his
ability to advise in financial matters;

That we appreciate and hereby acknowledge the comfort he has been to many of
us in a professional way, that while he could not carry our burdens at such times, yet by
his sympathetic consideration of us, and his willingness to do all he could to help us, he
has made some rough places smoother, and he has made us his firm friends;

That we extend our sincere sympathy to his family in their deep affliction ;

That we cause these resolutions to be spread on the records and a copy sent to Mrs.
Preston.

Among the other resolutions of orders and other organizations, one
more may be quoted. They are those of the Veteran Corps of Company K,
First Infantry Regiment, Connecticut National Guard, which run as fol-
lows:

Another comrade has answered the last roll call and passed from our ranks.

Comrade Edward H. Preston was a charter member of Company K and served his
term of enlistment with loyalty and fidelity. We of the earlier days will recall his cheery
ways and the deep interest he took in the welfare and success of the company.

He will be greatly missed from the community in which he was for many years a
leading and influential citizen, and from our meetings and councils.

We desire to place on record a tribute to his memory and worth as a good citizen,
loyal friend and true comrade and to express our sympathy to the family.

Resolved, That this minute be spread upon the records of this corps and that a copy
of the same be sent to the family.

The Rev. Mr. Charles H. Ricketts, of Norwich, concluded his effective
address at Mr. Preston's funeral with the following quotation from Long-
fellow:

Take them, O Death ! and bear away

Whatever thou canst call thine own !
Thine image stamped upon this clay
Doth give thee that, but that alone.

Oliver Wendell Holmes' "The Boys" was also quoted (by the Rev. Mr.
P. E. Thomas) as descriptive of Mr. Preston, as follows:

dBDtoatD I^otoatD Preston 151

You hear that boy laughing? You think he's all fun
But the angels laugh, too, at the good he has done ;
And the children all laugh as they troop to his call,
And the poor man that knows him laughs loudest of all.

It seems appropriate to close this brief account of a good man with an
original poem by "F. M." dedicated

TO THE MEMORY OF "ED" PRESTON.

Now he, whose work of tender ministration

So oft has lightened Death's oppressing load,

.And brought some touch of kind alleviation,
Himself has gone the unreturning road.

But thinking of his life, who dwells on sadness?

Though his the frequent partnership with grief.
His heart was ever filled with warmth and gladness,

Not gloom was his, but radiant belief!

Yet not because his heart was void of feeling

Through long familiarity with pain.
For oft his manly sympathy brought healing

To stricken souls, and bade them hope again.

Yes, he has passed ; but for long years remaining
Will stay with us the memory of a face

Whose open frankness, still new friendships gaining.
Was wont to brighten many a gathering-place.

His brothers, in the mystic bonds united,

His friends who knew him only as a man.

Alike will miss his greeting, that delighted
As honest, hearty goodness only can.

To those his very nearest, who shall offer

The rightful comfort at this clouded hour?

Yet are we still constrained some words to proffer.

However weak — God's voice may give them power !

Farewell! dear "Ed." Yet not in hopeless pity

We speed you to that bourne past human ken.

But trust you leave our own for some glad city
Where dwell the souls of Nature's Gentlemen.

C{)arle0 H. ^mitl)

|NE of the representative merchants of Hartford, Connecti-
cut, and one of its most deservedly honored citizens, was
Charles H. Smith, whose death occurred there on Friday,
May 24, 1907, at the age of seventy-nine years. He was a
member of one of the oldest New England families, which
from the earliest colonial times has held a distinguished
place in the regard of the community. The founder of the
family in America was Richard Smith, one of the original proprietors of the
town of Lyme, Connecticut, in which region his descendants have made
their home ever since. Another ancestor of Mr. Smith was Elder William
Brewster, who landed at Plymouth in 1620, one of the original "Mayflower"
colonists, and from whom Mr. Smith traced descent in both paternal and
maternal lines. Scarcely less distinguished was Mr. Smith's ancestry, in
the maternal line, through which he was able to trace his descent from
Samuel Gorton, one of the striking figures of New England history in that
early time, whose strong beliefs and personality made him something of a
storm center, and who, when driven from his places of abode by his irate
opponents, founded, with some associates, the town of Warwick, Rhode
Island. Mr. Smith's parents were Elisha and Mary (Gorton) Smith, both
natives of East Lyme, Connecticut, where they passed their entire lives.
He held the rank of sergeant during the War of 1812.

Charles H. Smith was born October 27, 1828, in East Lyme, on the old
family farm, at that time operated by his father. The first fourteen years of
his life he resided there, attending the local public school, where he gained
the preliminaries of his education, and doing light farm work. When he
reached the age of fourteen years, he was sent to Westfield, Massachusetts,
to live with his brother, the Rev. William Angus Smith, whose home was in
that town. This brother was nearly twenty years older than Mr. Smith,
and sent the lad to Westfield Academy, where it was intended that he
should receive a liberal education. It was unfortunate, particularly in view
of the excellent standing which he won as a student, that pecuniary condi-
tions were such that he had to be withdrawn at the end of his second year
and started at work. He came at once to Hartford, where another brother,
John Gorton Smith, had been successfully engaged in the dry goods busi-
ness from the year 1838. His establishment was located on Main street, not
far from Pearl street, and was familiarly known as the "Long Brick Store,"
and it was here that many of the well known merchants of the city in later
days passed the days of their apprenticeship in business. Such was the case
with our subject, who in 1844, was given a clerkship in his brother's estab-
lishment. He was a youth sixteen years of age at that time, and from
then until his death was closely identified with the growth of the business,
financial and industrial interests of the city. His bright, alert mind and his
strong purpose to succeed, which gave him a well-nigh unlimited capacity
for hard work, recommended him to his brother, who steadily advanced him

Cftarleg \^. ^mftb 153

in rank, until b}' dint of economy he was able to save up a considerable sum
of money, which he hoarded away against the opportunity which he felt sure
would some day arise. Nor was he mistaken. In 1851 John G. Smith removed
from Hartford to New York City, and the younger man bought his dry
goods business and continued to conduct it with a very high degree of suc-
cess for upwards of twenty years. Under his most capable management the
business grew to very large proportions and Mr. Smith himself assumed a
very important place in the business world, and by degrees became asso-
ciated with many of the largest and most important industrial and financial
concerns in the city. In 1871, after twenty years of the closest personal
attention to the conduct of his own personal enterprise and of almost equal
effort on behalf of the others he was connected with, Mr. Smith's health gave
out and he was obliged to retire from active life temporarily. He sold his
dry goods trade to the firm of Brown, Thompson & Companv, the prede-
cessors of the present concern of that name. Mr. Smith was at that time a
trustee of the Connecticut Trust and Safe Deposit Company, and had been
since the time of its incorporation, and a director of the Phoenix Insurance
Company. He had also been one of the founders of the Smyth Manufactur-
ing Company and was a director at this time. All these connections he
retained, but gave up for a time all active participation in their manage-
ment. It was not until 1877, six years after his retirement that Mr. Smith
once more returned to active business life. He now formed a partnership
with Mr. Edwin D. Tiffany, and his son, Charles Howell Smith, the firm
engaging in a general brokerage business in which they handled both local
and western securities. In the year 1894, Mr. Smith, Jr., died, and in the
same year the elder man finally retired from active business life. He
resigned his directorship in the Smyth Manufacturing Company at the last
annual meeting of directors before his death, but his connection with the
other institutions he continued to the end.

It was not alone in the business world, by any means, that Mr. Smith
occupied a prominent place in the life of the city. Though never taking an
active part in politics, he had very strong opinions and beliefs in regard to
the issues and questions of public import with which the country was at that
time confronted, and exerted not a little influence purely in the capacity of
private citizen. He was a staunch member of the Republican party, and a
supporter of its principles and policies. He was a conspicuous figure in the
social and philanthropic life of Hartford, and was a member of many of the
most important clubs and societies, among others, the Connecticut Histori-
cal Society and the Hartford Club. During the years of his life that Mr.
Smith gave up to leisure, for reasons of health or otherwise, he did much
travelling, especially in Europe and made many keen observations on the
customs and manners of the men of other climes.

Mr. Smith was a constant attendant of the South Congregational
Church of Hartford for fully sixty years, and was a very prominent and
active member of the congregation and a generous supporter of the philan-
thropic and other work connected therewith. He was for many years a close
personal friend of the pastor, the Rev. Dr. Edwin Pond Parker.

Mr. Smith was twice married, the first time in the year 1852, to Harriet

154 Cftarlcg ^, ^mitb

E. Hills, a daughter of Howell R. Hills, a wholesale dealer in boots and shoes
in Hartford. There was one son born to this union, and Mrs. Smith died in
1855. In the year 1861 Mr. Smith was married, on August 22, to Jane T.
Hills, a daughter of Ellery Hills, who for over fifty years was a prominent
merchant in Hartford. Mrs. Smith is a sister of the distinguished numis-
matist and collector, Jonas Coolidge Hills, a sketch of whom appears else-
where in this work. Mr. Smith's son by his first marriage, Charles Howell
Smith, who has already been mentioned in this article, was born in 1853, and
died at the age of forty-one years. Besides his partnership with his father
in the brokerage business, he was secretary and treasurer of the Valley rail-
road. He was married to Kate Kemble, of Paw Paw, Michigan, and by her
had one child, Robert Kemble Smith, who with his mother and Mrs. Smith,
Sr., resides in the handsome dwelling purchased by Mr. Smith at No. 593
Farmington avenue, Hartford, in 1896. Robert Kemble Smith attended the
Hotchkiss School at Lakeville, Connecticut, and Williams College, and is
now connected with the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, of
Hartford, Connecticut.

From the year 1844, when Mr. Smith first came to Hartford, a youth of
sixteen, he has been closely identified with the industrial and financial
growth of the city. He was, at the time of his death, one of the oldest citi-
zens, and his memory was a repository of much of the local history and tra-
dition of the city, during his life and earlier. It was, indeed, but a town
when he first made his home there, and he was often heard to observe that he
had watched its growth from a population of nine to eighty thousand
inhabitants. But it was as more than a mere observer, however close and
affectionate, that Mr. Smith was associated with this growth. It was
rather as one of the most active participants therein, whose eflforts were
primarily directed towards the advancement of the community of which he
was a member. He was possessed of unyielding will and purpose, and he
brought these strong traits to bear upon those enterprises in which he en-
gaged with the inevitable result that they prospered greatly. His unim-
peachable integrity, and rare sense of justice soon won for him an enviable
reputation, both as a business man and in the more personal relations of life,
and there were few men living in the city so highly honored and respected
as was he. The religion he professed he practiced also, the church life
which he adhered to so faithful for so many years, was of practical signifi-
cance to him, and its experiences to be translated into the terms of conduct
for the guidance of every-day life. He lived to a good old age, and death,
when it overtook him, came only in the due course of nature, yet it was felt
as a personal loss, not merely by his immediate family and the large circle of
friends which his unassuming personality had won him from every walk in
life, but by the community generally, which had as a whole benefited so
greatly as a result of his life and labors.

C})arles ^tti) CreaDtoap

N THE DEATH of Charles Seth Treadway, on January 27,
1905, the town of Bristol, Hartford county, Connecticut, lost
one of its most prominent and public spirited citizens, and
one who has been in the highest degree identified with the
great development of that place during the past three
decades. His parents, Charles and Emily (Candee) Tread-
way, were residents of Bristol and there Mr. Treadway was
born on January 24, 1848.

He continued to live there and attended the local public schools until he
had reached the age of twelve when his parents removed to Winsted. Con-
necticut. From there they later removed to Waterbury, Connecticut, where
the youth attended the high school. It was in Waterbury that he entered
upon the business career, which was to make him a prominent figure in the
Connecticut financial and industrial world. The first few years of this career
were marked by a number of beginnings in several different lines, suc-
cessively made, and each leading to something of greater promise. Having
completed his schooling at the age of fifteen years, he entered the employ-
ment of The Waterbury Clock Company, with which his father was con-
nected, to learn the trade of clockmaker. He did not remain there more
than a few months, leaving to accept an ofifer of a clerical position in the
Waterbury post office. It was due to A. S. Chase, at that time president of
the Waterbury National Bank, that Mr. Treadway finally entered the busi-
ness which, more than any other, was to form his life work. This gentle-
man on his visits to the post office had observed the youth and been im-
pressed with his air of alert industry. It is reported that approaching him
one day, he asked him if he would like to learn the banking business. The
young man replied promptly that he would, whereupon the ofifer of position
of office boy in Mr. Chase's institution was made and at once accepted. And
now, as before, his keen intellect and willingness to work hard impressed
Mr. Chase, and he was rapidly promoted, through a number of intermediate
positions, to that of teller, he being at the time of his appointment, one of
the youngest men to hold that responsible position in the State of Connec-
ticut. Mr. Treadway had in the meantime made the acquaintance of the
late Andrew Terry, founder of the Andrew Terry Company, of Terryville,
Connecticut, manufacturers of malleable iron. Mr. Terry was impressed
with the young man's ability and invited him to join him in a western enter-
prise which he had under consideration. Mr. I'readway at once agreed to
the proposition and together with Mr. Terry went to the town of Lawrence,
Kansas, which was at that time feeling the effects of the great boom enjoyed
by that section of the country. In this promising environment a bank was
opened of which Mr. Terry was the president and Mr. Treadway the secre-
tary and teller. The enterprise prospered and Mr. Treadway remained in
the Kansas town for four years in the capacity mentioned above. In the
year 1875 the Bristol National Bank was organized by John Humphrey
Sessions and a number of his associates. To these gentlemen the name of

156 Cbarles ^etf) CceaDtoap

Mr. Treadway was mentioned as that of one eminently fitted to take charg^e of
the cashier's department of the new institution, and they accordingly wrote
him in the west and made him the offer of the position of cashier. Mr.
Treadway at once accepted and returned to his native place to assume his
new duties after an absence of about thirteen years. Though he thus renewed
his residence and associations with Bristol, he never forgot his friendships
in Waterbury, nor lost his affection for the place itself, and that the converse
of this is also true may be seen in the notices which appeared in the Water-
bury papers on the occasion of his death. Mr. Treadway continued to act
as cashier of the Bristol bank until the year 1899, when, upon the death of
Mr. Sessions, he was elected president, an office which he held until his own
demise sixteen years later. Under his capable management, the bank con-
tinued its successful development until it became one of the prominent
institutions in financial Connecticut.

The business operations of Mr. Treadway were not actuated solely by
personal considerations and many of his most characteristic successes were
achieved with the general development of the community quite as much in
mind as his private interests. Ten years of banking in Bristol had given
Mr. Treadway a conspicuous position in that town and it was as a man of
influence that he started in the year 1883, a definite movement toward the
improvement of conditions there. In spite of his unselfishness and broad
conception of public welfare his plans met with considerable opposition on
the part of the extreme conservatists in the community. Mr. Treadway
and his associates were not the men, however, to be deterred by obstacles,
and they proceeded surely towards their goal. Their plan was the estab-
lishment of an adequate public water supply and to this end the Bristol
Water Company was organized with John H. Sessions at its head. The
plant which was finally constructed is one of the most modern and effective
in the State of Connecticut, and to its final success Mr. Treadway devoted
his great energies, mastering its construction and operation in the greatest
detail. At the death of Mr. Sessions, Mr. Treadway succeeded him as
president of the water company and served in that capacity until the
end of his life. His next movement in the interest of the town was towards
the installing of electric lights, and in this matter also his efforts were
crowned with success and the year following the establishment of the Bristol
Water Company saw that of the Bristol Electric Light Company, with Mr.
Sessions again at the head. The lighting company was, however, absorbed
ten years later by the Bristol and Plainville Tramway Company, also the
product of Mr. Treadway's enterprise, and which carried on a successful
transportation and lighting business. At the death of Mr. Sessions, Mr.
Treadway succeeded to the presidency of these companies and held the ofiice
until within a few months of his death, when ill health obliged him to give
up the manifold duties connected with their management. It was largely due
to his skill and judgment that the various public utilities were so successful
and that the operating companies were placed upon such sound financial basis.

Mr. Treadway's interests were not confined to enterprises of this semi-
public type, however, for he has played an equally important part in the
industrial development of the town. One of the largest concerns with which
he was connected was the New Departure Manufacturing Company. The

Cljarles %ttb CreaDtoap 157

company was organized in 1887, and a few years later Mr. Treadway became
a stockholder, and in 1900 was elected its president to succeed W. A. Gra-
ham. The business at once felt the stimulus of his progressive management
and grew rapidly until it attained enormous size and an international
activity. It possesses at the present time a market for its products, such as
bells, brakes for bicycles, ball bearings, steel balls, and many other devices
in all parts of the world. A branch factory was established in Germany
some time before Mr. Treadway's death. The association of Mr. Treadway
with Everett Horton was also the cause of a large concern known as the
Horton Manufacturing Company. Mr. Horton was the inventor of a steel
fishing rod which he had patented and Mr. Treadway and a number of asso-
ciates organized a company for the manufacture of this article. Of this C. F.
Pope of New York (a close personal friend of Mr.- Treadway's) was chosen
president, but Mr. Treadway was the treasurer and upon him devolved the
control of the business. He was also the vice-president of the Bristol Brass
Company, and held the same office in the Bristol Manufacturing Company.
He was a director of many important concerns, notably the Blakesley
Novelty Company, the Bristol Press Publishing Company, the Southington
National Bank, and for a period of the Waterbury American.

A man so closely and prominently identified with large and semi-public
undertakings, as was Mr. Treadway, would find it out of the question to
remain aloof in matters of more formal public concern. To this result, too,
was contributary a keen interest in public issues generally, particularly those
of local application. It was practically inevitable, therefore, that he should
become connected with local politics, and that, becoming thus connected,
he would exert a profound influence on the conduct of public affairs. Not-
withstanding this Mr. Treadway endeavored to the best of his ability to
avoid public office without, however, complete success. He was elected a
representative from Bristol to the Connecticut General Assembly in 1882.
He was treasurer of the town of Bristol from 1888 to 1900 inclusive, and
treasurer of the borough from its incorporation in 1894 to 1901 inclusive.
He also served on the board of directors of the Free Public Library from its
organization in 1892 until his death, and was at one time treasurer of the
first school district. It would seem that the duties and obligations involved
in the many offices public and private, enumerated above would have proved
as great a burden as any man could successfully bear, yet Mr. Treadway
found time and energy to devote to social life, and was included in the
membership of many clubs and orders. He belonged to the Townsend
Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Waterbury, and to Reliance
Council, Royal Arcanum of Bristol. He was a director of the Farmington
Country Club and a member of the board of governors, and at one time
vice-president of the club. He was also a member of the Waterbury Club,
the Bristol Golf Club, and the Bristol Business Men's Association.

Mr. Treadway was married, December 22, 1873, to Margaret Terry, of
Lawrence, Kansas, a daughter of Andrew Terry, of that place. To them two
children were born, as follows: Susan Emily, who died when but four years
old, and Charles Terry, now a resident of Bristol and treasurer of The New
Departure Manufacturing Company. Mrs. Treadway's death occurred in
1880. On January 24, 1884, Mr. Treadway was again married, this time to

158 Cbatles Setft CreaDtoap

Lucy Hurlburt Townsend, of Waterbury, a daughter of Georg-e L. Town-
send, a resident of that place. To them four children were born: Townsend
Gillette, Morton Candee, Lucy Margaret, and Harry, who died in infancy.
The three others with their mother survive Mr. Treadway.

Of the influence of Mr. Treadway upon the community, and of the
regard which the community held him in, it is perhaps more appropriate to
let those who directly felt these things speak. And of such words we have
no lack. The "Bristol Press" on the occasion of his death concluded a long
commemorative article as follows:

Mistakes were rare indeed in his career. He studied problems coming to him for
sohition, with conservatism born of bank training, yet with the progressiveness of a
promoter of large successes. No man was ever truer to the trust of his fellow men, none
more worthy of reputation for unfailing honesty and fairness in all dealing.

His opinions were carefully formed, firmly held, even against opposition that
would have overwhelmed most men. Once he saw a course to be right, he held to it
with that remarkable tenacity of will that makes men masters and leaders.

His mental capacity was large, carrying the details of affairs in which he was inter-
ested, without confusion of facts.

In his home and with his friends, his devotion was sweet. In dealing with the
public he always tried to meet men on a level, always tried to be fair and if perchance
he felt that he had not been just, his efTort was prompt to make amends. Outspoken at
all times, deception had no place in his ethics of conduct.

Mr. Treadway's life has gone into the structure of the community. His death
marks the sacrifice of a personality that was eminently valuable, and a loss, the apprecia-
tion of which will be better estimated with every day that passes.

Not only the Bristol papers, but those of Waterbury, joined in the
chorus of praise and sorrow over the sad event, but perhaps the most appro-
priate ending to this sketch is the resolutions passed at this time by the
directors of the Bristol National Bank, an act in which this institution was
joined by the many other concerns with which Mr. Treadway was asso-
ciated. Those of the bank read:

At a meeting of the directors of the Bristol National Bank, held Monday, January
30, 1905, it was voted that the following be spread upon the records of the bank:

The members of this board have learned with profound sorrow of the death on the
27th inst. of their late esteemed president, Charles S. Treadway, and desire to express
their high appreciation of him as a valuable citizen in this community, having been iden-
tified with so many of its manufacturing and industrial enterprises. It is largely due to
his wisdom as a financier and to his superior business qualities that these have been
successful and thus contributed to the prosperity of the town.

We feel that in all these years his connection with the various industries has been
one of credit to himself and of lasting benefit to the town.

He was connected with this bank from its organization in 1875, acting as cashier
until 1899, when upon the death of Mr. John H. Sessions, he succeeded to the presidency,
holding these positions to the satisfaction of both ofiicers and patrons of the bank.

We, as directors of this bank, fully realize that in the death of Mr. Treadway we
have lost a trusted manager, a wise counsellor and one in whose judgment in matters
pertaining to this institution we have had implicit confidence that he has always acted
from the best motives of what he thought was right and just. We shall miss him at
our board meetings where he has always been ready in a cheerful manner to impart any
information asked for pertaining to the bank. He has pas.sed away universally respected
and mourned.

To his family we tender our heartfelt sympathy in their bereavement.

Voted, that "the bank be closed from i o'clock Monday the 30th until 12 o'clock
Tuesday the 31st, and that the members of this board shall attend the funeral in a body.

Voted, that a copy of the above be sent to his family and published in the Bristol
Press.

©tto jfrebericfe ^trun?

N THAT GROUP of capable and talented men whose efforts
have given Bristol, Connecticut, the place it holds in the
industrial world, must be included the name of Otto Fred-
erick Strunz, who, though a foreigner by birth, was identified
all his life with the development of his adopted city and in
whose death that city suffered a real loss. Mr. Strunz was
a member of a race which has contributed a great and im-
portant element to the composite American population and leavened it with
its strong virtues of indefatigable industry, thrift and unwavering pursuit
of its objective. He was a son of William Strunz, a native of the city of
Crimmitzschau, Saxony, where he was a cloth weaver by trade. Like so
many of his fellow countrymen, he left his native land during the years
which followed the revolutionary movement of 1848-49, when much of the
best blood of the Fatherland was obliged to seek haven in the New World,
and like them came over to the United States. William Strunz married
Louisa Diesner, a native of his own town, who became the mother of his
nine children, several of whom were born before their migration to the new
home in the west. Among these was Otto Frederick, who was born in
Saxony on December 14, 1850. In 1854 his parents and their five children
settled in Broad Brook, Connecticut, where the father secured the position
of inspector of the product of the woolen mills of the community, holding the
same until his final retirement from active business. Of his five children
who came with him to this country, as well as the four that were born here,
all continued residents of the United States, and most of them remained in
Connecticut, though two went so far afield as San Francisco, California, and
one settled in Palatka, Florida.

Otto Frederick Strunz passed the years of his childhood and early youth
in Broad Brook, where his father had settled upon coming to this country,
and there received his education, attending the local public schools until six-
teen years of age. There also he began his career in the world of business,
though the beginning would scarcely suggest how successful it was to be-
come. He was apprenticed to an establishment to learn the trade of wool
dyeing, and there remained about three years, mastering in the meantime
all the detail of the work. Abandoning this work, however, he took up car-
pentry, and was employed at his new task for three years by Ralph Belknap,
of Broad Brook. He had a desire, however, which grew as time went on, to
go to a larger place where he might find a larger sphere of activity, and
accordingly, in the year 1871, he moved to Bristol, and there was employed
by Elbert Case for four years as a joiner, and later by other contracting
firms remaining in this employment until 1879. During this period Mr.
Strunz displayed in a preeminent degree those qualities which so distinguish
his race, industry and thrift, and was in consequence, at the close of it able
to purchase a coal business and embark upon an enterprise of his own. The
business which he purchased was that of A. C. Hendee, already well estab-

i6o ©tto JFteDerick ^ttun?

Hshed and having its offices in the rear of what is now known as Eaton's
elevator. He was eminently successful in this venture and continued in the
coal business after he had retired from many of his later enterprises. The
next of these was the establishment, in 1880, of the Bristol Bakery, which
was very successful, and which he continued for a period of eight years and
more, finally selling out to J. W. Lounsbury. His purpose in so selling this
paying business was that he might be enabled to lead a more retired life and
enjoy more at his leisure the fruits of his efforts, but this purpose was
defeated in a measure by the very success of those efforts. His success had
been so marked, and his ability in the management of his affairs so obvious,
that he had made for himself a large reputation in the business world of
Bristol, and a number of prominent men, perceiving his talents, desired to
avail themselves of them. This group of men were those public spirited
citizens who had been the prime movers in introducing the various public
utilities into Bristol. Among these was the Bristol electric lighting system,
owned and operated by the Bristol Electric Light Company, and it was of
this plant that they desired Mr. Strunz to assume the management. This
thev prevailed upon him to do, and he continued his work as superintendent
for a period of five years. It was at this time that the tramway line between
Bristol and Plainville was introduced by the same group of financiers and
business men, Mr. Strunz having joined with them in this venture, and be-
coming a director of the new concern, known as the Plainville and Bristol
Tramway Company. Besides the running of cars between the two places,
this company also absorbed the old electric light company and carried on the
business of the latter. The management of Mr. Strunz had been so highly
successful that he v/as pressed to take the same office, that of superintendent,
in the consolidated concern, and eventually consented. He continued his
most efficient system of management for a considerable period, contributing
in a great measure to the success of the operations, and the placing of the
utility on a firm basis, but the result of his arduous exertions finally told
upon his health, and he felt constrained to hand in his resignation. This of
course applied merely to his function as superintendent, and after a most
reluctant acceptance on the part of the directors, he still continued his serv-
ices as one of that board. Besides these important interests Mr. Strunz had
become connected with a number of important industrial concerns, and was
one of the most influential figures in Bristol business circles. He was a
director of the Codling Manufacturing Company of Bristol and in the great
watch company of Forestville, Connecticut, known as the E. N. Welch Com-
pany, and which was later reorganized as the Sessions Watch Company.

One of the most important enterprises in which Mr. Strunz was inter-
ested was of quite another order from those above enumerated. The
"Bristol Press" is the oldest paper in Bristol, and has played an important
part in the formation of public opinion and in influencing the conduct of
political affairs in that city. It is, and always has been, an independent pub-
lication, and in Mr. Strunz's time was controlled by the same group of
public spirited men at whose solicitation he had taken up the management
of the electric company. He became also interested in the paper and was

SDtto jFreDeticb ^trun? i6i

chosen its president and treasurer, offices which he held most capably, the
publication developing- greatly during his period of control.

While Mr. Strunz cannot be said to have ever actively taken part in
politics, his interest in them was great and he was a keen observer both of
the general issues which then agitated the country, and of the more local
issues in connection with State and municipal affairs. He was a member of
the Republican party, and although he did not seek any public office, indeed
rather avoided it where it was consistent with his idea of duty to the com-
munity, the local Republican organization, were not slow in recognizing his
availability as a candidate. His prominence in the financial and business
world, and his great personal popularity were certainly reason enough for
this opinion, which the event proved well founded. He was offered the
nomination for the State Legislature to represent Bristol. Though he had
been very far from seeking this distinction, he would not refuse it and was
elected and effectively represented his town during the term of two years
from 1898 to I goo.

Mr. Strunz was a conspicuous figure in the social and fraternal life of
Bristol, and was a member of a number of orders and similar organizations
of that character. He was a member of the Masonic order, and of Hiram
Temple, No. 90, Knights of Khorassan, of New Britain, and of E. Lodge, No.
9, Knights of Pythias. He was a member and a faithful attendant at the
services of the Congregational church, taking an active part in the work of
the congregation. He was interested in the Sunday school, and being a
musician of ability, contributed to its success by playing in the Sunday
school orchestra.

Mr. Strunz married May 30, 1878, S. Addie Thompson, a daughter of
Hiram C. Thompson, of Bristol, Connecticut. Mrs. Strunz survives her
husband. To them was born one child, a daughter Hermina, who died at the
age of two years. Mrs. Strunz is a member of an old and highly respected
family of Connecticut, her ancestors having played a part in the early history
of this country, as may be seen in the fact that she is a member of the
Daughters of the American Revolution.

coNN-voiiii-11

Henrp Hetfetoitt)

'HE death of Henry Beckwith on November 28, 1887, in Bris-
tol, Connecticut, was a great loss to that town in which he
had all his life resided and pla^'ed a prominent part in the
community life and the conduct of public affairs. His fam-
ily was a highly respected one in the neighborhood and Mr.
Beckwith was himself born in Bristol, July 28, 1821. He
was educated at the local schools and attended the academy
for the completion of his studies. After his graduation from this institution,
he applied himself to mastering the difficult and delicate trade of the worker
in gold leaf, which he did not follow for any great period, however, turning
rather to the business world, in which he remained the rest of his life and
enjoyed a very considerable success. His first position was with the Bristol
Brass Company, one of Bristol's large industrial concerns, engaged in the
manufacture of metal implements of divers kinds. Mr. Beckwith took a
position with this company as secretary and general superintendent of the
spoon department and continued associated with the company until his
death.

It was not in this connection, however, that he was best known in Bris-
tol. He was a prominent figure in the industrial world, to be sure, but it was
as a popular man of affairs that his real influence lay. He was a stanch
member of the Republican party and was greatly interested in the political
issues that in his time agitated the country. He was unfortunately very
much of an invalid, and his ill health prevented him from taking as great a
part in politics as he would have liked to do. In spite of this handicap, how-
ever, he allied himself with the local organization and did what it was possi-
ble for him to, serving on a number of committees in the capacity of chair-
man, and exerting a strong influence in the councils of the party. He was
chosen justice of the peace about 1847, ^^"d continued to hold that responsi-
ble and important office for thirty years. Although his health would not
permit him to take as active a part as he desired in affairs, it seems remark-
able, in reviewing his career, to see how active he was, in spite of that same
invalidism. There are many men in perfect health who have the name for
energy who do no more or even less than he. He was, for an instance, inca-
pacitated from serving in the army in the Civil War, but, determined to be
of the utmost service to the Union cause permitted him, he bestirred him-
self in the matter of recruiting and did much in that direction of real value.
Among the many duties which he took upon himself were those connected
with a directorship in the Bristol Savings Bank, and a place on the commit-
tee which regulated the loans made by that institution. He also held the
offices of constable and tax assessor for Bristol at dift"erent times.

Mr. Beckwith was an eminently religious man in the true sense of that
phrase, and despite the many calls upon his time and energy, despite respon-
sibilities and tasks which would seem overburdensome for any but the most
robust health, he added to these much hard work in the cause of the church

^entp IBccbtoitt) 163

of which he was a member. This was the First Congregational Church of
Bristol, which he joined in 1858, and at whose services he was after that date
a consistent attendant. He was a valued member of the congregation, tak-
ing his full share of the work and responsibilities of that body, and serving
it in a number of capacities. He was clerk of the Congregational Society
for twenty-five years, clerk of the church for eighteen, and treasurer for
twelve, in all of which offices he discharged his duties to the highest satis-
faction of his fellow church members, and to the credit of the church. He
was also interested in the conduct of the Sunday school and held the post of
superintendent of that body for four years, when he resigned on account of
ill health. He was a hard worker and a generous benefactor in all church
movements, and liberally supported the many philanthropies in connection
therewith.

Mr. Beckwith was married, July 14, 1851, to Charlotte Miriam Skinner,
a native of East Windsor, Connecticut, and to them were born two children,
Mary Catherine and Julia Esther, both of whom survive Mr. Beckwith. The
former, Mary Catherine, is now Mrs. L. B. Brewster, of Waterbury, Con-
necticut.

(Bilbtxt Henrp illafeeslep

'N the death of Gilbert Henry Blakesley, on June 7, 191 1, Bris-
tol, Connecticut, lost one of its foremost citizens and a man
whose virtues would have brought credit to any place. He
was a native of Bristol, having been born July 7, 1840, in
Edgewood, then known as Polkville, a suburb of the larger
place. His parents were Henry T. and Julia (Simpson)
Blakesley, who when he was still a child moved from Bristol
and settled in New Haven. They did not remain in that city a great while,
however, as Mrs. Blakesley died when her son was but six years old, and Mr.
Blakesley soon returned to Bristol, with his son.

Gilbert Henry Blakesley attended the local schools of Bristol, and lived
there until he reached the age of eighteen years, when he went to Hartford,
where he remained two years, spending that time in mastering the trade of
jeweler which, however, he abandoned. All peaceful occupations were
broken off at about that time by the outbreak of the Civil War, and Mr.
Blakesley enlisted in the army when twenty-two years of age, one of the
great host of patriots ready to sacrifice everything for the preservation of
the Union. Mr. Blakesley joined Company K of the Sixteenth Regiment of
Connecticut Volunteers, and was soon at the front with his fellows and
engaged in active service. He continued for several months, when he and
another soldier came home with the body of Captain Manross. He was of an
inventive and mechanical mind, and before a great while patented a clever
device of his invention. He was without the necessary capital to put the
device on the market and cast about to find some one to finance the scheme.
At length he found a company in Hamilton, Ontario, willing to purchase his
invention outright, and this proposition he agreed to, afterwards entering
the employ of the same people. He remained in this service for a time, but
eventually returned to Bristol, which then became his home for the remain-
der of his life and the scene of all his busy activities. After this final return,
he found employment in a number of different manufacturing concerns
where his mechanical ability gained him consideration and promotion and
where he learned much that was valuable to him in his career. At length he
became the superintendent of the Jones Shop, which stood in those days
where the great factory of the "New Departure" Company is now located.
While still thus employed Mr. Blakesley began manufacturing operations
on his own account, in the same shop, his specialties being fancy pendulums
and garters. His business in these commodities grew so rapidly that it soon
became necessary to find independent accommodations for their manufac-
ture, and he moved accordingly to the old Darrow Shop situated on Meadow
street, where he continued for a few years, and then closed it out.

In 1887 he organized the Blakesley Novelty Company, with Mr. Blakes-
ley as president, for the manufacture of elastic goods. It was under the
circumstances in which Mr. Blakesley found himself at this time that his
mechanical genius found its best expression, and feeling no restraining influ-

©iltjcrt l^enrp TBIakeslcp 165

ence, he at once went to work and devised not only many novelties for the
trade, but many of the mechanisms for use in their manufacture, and much
of the present equipment is his invention. Indeed the development of this
industry became properly his life work, and it is due alike to his mechanical
genius and his ability as a business manager that the concern prospered.
At the time of the company's organization it was located at the corner of
Main and School streets, in what was known as the Root Clock Shop. Here
the business was housed until the building of the present factory on Laurel
street. Mr. Blakesley was also associated with the Bristol Press Publishing
Company.

Indeed, Mr. Blakesley in his entire connection with the afifairs of Bristol
showed a disinterestedness most admirable. A strong adherent of the Re-
publican party and of its principles and policies, he never sought to benefit
himself by the connection, nor to use his official influence to further any
personal aim. He was for several years the chairman of the town committee
of the local organization, but he seemed always to regard this as a purely
private function which any citizen might fill out of interest in the aims of
the party, but giving him no rights in return in his dealings with official-
dom. He rather sought to remain entirely within the sphere of private
citizenship, yet when his party required his services as candidate, he would
not say no. He served his fellow citizens for four years on the board of bur-
gesses and for two years as warden of the borough of Bristol.

Outside of his work in building up the industry which bears his name,
Mr. Blakesley gave more time and energy to the development of the fire de-
partment of Bristol than to any one other object. Certainly it was chief
among his civic interests, and the story of his connection with it is an inter-
esting one. For many years he served on the board consisting of five mem-
bers which had charge of Bristol's precautions against fire and did admirable
service, serving as its secretary from the death of John Birge until his own
death. When he first joined the board the department was of a somewhat
primitive order, but Mr. Blakesley at once set to work with ardor, and with
the definite purpose of making it one of the best and most efficient in the
State of Connecticut. He was able to accomplish great results in this direc-
tion, working at the improvement in both the personnel and the equipment
of the department, and keeping a supervising eye over the men's interests.
Indeed, he was at great pains to see to it that all was well with the force,
not merely in the relation of the individuals to the department, but in their
more remote private affairs, and often followed up any hint of trouble, and
by his kind and fatherly advice and his generosity, often rendered invaluable
help. In short he became on the best of terms with the men, who in conse-
quence felt a willingness to go to any lengths to please him and gratify his
well known ambition for the department. This attitude on the part of the
men caused an esprit-de-corps, most advantageous to the department. One
of Mr. Blakesley's particular ambitions for the department was to have
installed the new type of auto chemical engine which has since so largely
taken the place of the horse-drawn machines. It was largely due to his
efforts that in 1909, two years before his death, the town actually purchased
one of these engines. The two years were amply sufficient to prove all that

1 66

(Qilbett ^enrp IBlabesIep

Mr. Blakesley had claimed for the device, and he thus had the satisfaction
of witnessing the triumph of his views and their general acceptance. He
was a member of the G. W. Thompson Post, Grand Army of the Republic ;
a charter member of Bristol Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks; of Franklin Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; of Bristol Club and
of the Army and Navy Club.

Mr. Blakesley married, December 22, 1897, Elizabeth Norton, a native
of Bristol, daughter of Charles and Martha (Stocking) Norton, of Bristol.
Mrs. Blakesley survives her husband.

acfjille JFrancots ifKltgeon

CHILLE FRANCOIS MIGEON, in whose death on Janu-
ary I, 1903, Torring-ton, Connecticut, lost one of its fore-
most citizens and the man who, of all others, was most
closely identified with its industrial development, was of
French descent, and exemplified well in his own person the
virtues of that brilliant race, which has accomplished such
wonders in the cause of progress and contributed so valuable
an element to the complex fabric of the American population. He came of
a well known and prominent French family and was related to many of the
old houses in that country. He was one of a household consisting of seven
children, the other six being daughters, and his parents were Henri and
Marie Louise (Baudelot) Migeon.

Henri Migeon was a man of parts. He was born in Haraucourt,
France, September 11, 1799, and in manhood became associated with the
woolen industry in his own country. The opportunity for development held
forth by the youthful republic of the American continent, now for the first
time able to turn its undivided attention to its own needs and opportunities,
appealed to the enterprising merchants of France, who rightly felt assured
of a kindly welcome in the countrj' which they had so effectively befriended
in the time of its utmost need. This opportunity was already being taken
advantage of by the Americans themselves, when in 1828, Henri Migeon
came to this country for the purpose of introducing French machinery for
the manufacture of woolen goods. M. Migeon came well accredited, bear-
ing letters of introduction from the Marquis de Lafayette to Philip Hone,
at that time mayor of New York. His purpose in visiting this country being
made known, he was very well received, and ottered much encouragement.
He returned, accordingly, to France, bearing with him many messages to
his noble patron from the distinguished men of this country, intending to
return and push his campaign with vigor. So much had he been impressed,
indeed, by conditions in the United States, that he decided to make it more
than a temporary residence, and when he returned in 1829 it was to bring
his family with him and make here a permanent home. The advantages of
the devices which he brought with him from France had become apparent,
and more than one place sought to induce him to settle there. Governor
Wolcott, of Connecticut, sought to persuade him to live in Wolcottville in
that State, now Torrington, which had been named for the Governor on
account of the aid he had given it in its early years. But although M.
Migeon came finally to live there, he did not at once accept the Governor's
ofifer chosing rather Millbury, Massachusetts, where he considered the
financial inducements superior. He remained in this place but four years,
however, and in 1833 removed to Wolcottville or Torrington, where he be-
came associated with the woolen mills which were the early representatives
of what later became one of Torrington's great industries. These mills
were largely owned by Governor Wolcott and members of the Wolcott

i68 3cf)iUe jFcancois Q^igeon

family, and M. Migeon was employed there for a number of years. He be-
came the owner of the Dr. Oliver Wolcott estate at Litchfield, and there
made his home for a time. But Henri Migeon's talent was not merely for
business management, but included great mechanical ability, and in the
year 1837 he patented a device of his own for the refinishing of broadcloths,
which he sought to introduce into the trade. In this effort he was phenome-
nally successful, but his success was well deserved for his method revolution-
ized the industry and brought to him a fortune. He went to New York City
during the remaining years of his active life and there made his headquar-
ters. M. Migeon did not, however, choose to remain in active business all
his life, and in 1854, while still comparatively a young man, he retired to his
home in Torrington and there spent the remainder of his days, engaged in
many movements for the benefit of his adopted community. He was a
highly cultivated man, and one well versed in politics of the world and in
literature. He was also a man of great public spirit and placed his attain-
ments unreservedly at the disposal of the American town in which he had
chosen to live. He perceived the advantage to the community of beautiful
streets and set out many handsome shade trees for their adornment. He
was also greatly interested in the public schools and did much to render
their work as effective as possible, besides making great friends with the
pupils, to whom he was accustomed to make presents. In the centennial
year he presented all the children attending the various grades with gold
coins, one for each child, with the date. 1876, engraved thereon. But though
M. Migeon thus became a loyal American, he never lost his interest in and
his love for France, to which he made a number of trips, during one of which
he was presented to the Emperor Napoleon HI.

Achille Francois Migeon, the worthy son of a worthy father, was born
on February 7, 1834, in Millbury, Massachusetts, but did not remain there.
His parents had already made their home in Torrington, and there, after his
birth, they took him, his childhood up to the age of nine years being passed
in that town. In 1843 his parents once more moved, this time to Litchfield,
Connecticut, where his father had purchased the Wolcott estate. It was in
Litchfield that he began his education, attending the local schools for the
elementary part of his studies. Here too there was developed another factor
in his liberal education. His father was extremely fond of horticultural "pur-
suits, and this fondness the broad acres of the Wolcott estate gave him
opportunity to indulge to the fullest. From this beautiful occupation the
growing boy derived much advantage, finding it a strong influence for cul-
ture in his life. His next regular schooling' was at an institution in Tarry-
town, New York, and he completed his preparatory studies in the Irvington
Institute. He then matriculated in the Hampden Institute and took a more
advanced course. His keen, alert and comprehensive intellect early began
to display itself, and his success in his studies drew the favorable attention
of his instructors upon him. His quickness brought him through his classes
with unusual celerity, so that at the early age of sixteen he had completed
his schooling and was ready to begin his business career. His first experi-
ence in the mercantile world was as a clerk in a store in Waterbury, Connec-
ticut, where he remained long enough to gain an elementary knowledge of

acijille jFrancois a^igeon 169

American business methods. His father was naturally desirous for him to
become acquainted with the details of the woolen industry with a view to
his eventually taking a place in the former's business, and he was accord-
ingly sent at the age of eighteen to the Middlesex Mills in Lowell, Massa-
chusetts, where he might observe the various steps in the manufacture of
these goods. He remained thus employed for a period of eighteen months,
his unusually quick intelligence aiding him in mastering his subject, and
then became associated with his father's business in New York City. In
the year 1855, upon reaching the age of twenty-one years, Mr. Migeon, and
his brother-in-law, Mr. Turrell, bought the Migeon business from the father
and conducted it in partnership for the succeeding nine years. In 1864 Mr.
Migeon sold out his interest to Mr. Turrell, and returning to Torrington he
began there that career which has been so largely instrumental in developing
the great industries which to-day distinguish that prosperous city. His
first venture in this direction was the establishment on a firm financial foot-
ing of what has now become the Union Hardware Company of Torrington.
He had already become interested in this concern, and it was due in large
measure to his energetic management that the company entered upon that
growth which has made it of recent years one of the largest and most im-
portant of the Torrington business houses. It was he who had the business
moved to its present quarters, and caused the construction of buildings to
provide adequate space for its accommodation. He was soon elected to the
ofiice of president, which he held for many years. One of the largest and
most important of all Mr. Migeon's enterprises is the Excelsior Needle Com-
pany, which, with three other gentlemen. Mr. Migeon organized in 1866.
The factory at that time consisted of a single small stone buildings with a
rude shed in the rear, situated out from Torrington on a hillside. But the
method of needle making was a great improvement over anything in use
at that time, and this, coupled with Mr. Migeon's great executive ability,
brought the company through one of the most phenomenal growths, even in
that region and period of rapid industrial development, until it reached its
present position as one of the most important industrial enterprises in the
State of Connecticut, and the largest needle manufacturing plant in the
world. Of this great concern Mr. Migeon was president up to the time of
his death. The story of the Excelsior Needle Company and the Union
Hardware Company was repeated in a number of other cases in an equally
striking manner. He was one of the principal promoters and the president
of the Eagle Bicycle Company, and a director of the Coe Brass Manufactur-
ing Company, the Hendey Machine Company, and the Turner & Seymour
Manufacturing Company, all among the most important enterprises of Tor-
rington. He was also a stockholder in the Torrington Water Works.

But Mr. Migeon's activities, though chiefly directed to the situation
around Torrington, were not confined to it exclusively. Wherever the in-
dustrial opportunity seemed to warrant it his interest was awakened. He
became president of the Bridgeport Copper Company of Connecticut, and
the vice-president of the Parott Silver and Copper Company of Butte, Mon-
tana. Beginning in almost all of these cases in a very small way, Mr.
Migeon and his various associates were responsible for a general industrial

lyo acbille JFrancois gpigeon

development, and took the initiative in what has, more than any other
single factor, caused the grow^th of Torrington from its rank as a small rural
town to its present great importance. As little Wolcottville owed its exist-
ence largely to the Wolcott family, so Torrington of the present day owes
its prosperity in a great measure to the energy and enterprise of Achille
Francois Migeon.

Mr. Migeon was married, September i, 1858, to Elizabeth Farrell, a
native of Waterbury, a daughter of Almon and Ruth E. (Warner) Farrell.
To them were born two children, as follows: Virginia Baudelot, now the
wife of Dr. Edwin E. Swift, of New York City; and Clara Louise, now Mrs.
Robert C. Swayze, of Torrington. Mr. Migeon's wife and children survive
him.

Mr. Migeon's death occurred in Jacksonville, Florida, whither he had
gone to spend the winter for the sake of his health. It seems appropriate to
close this sketch with the words printed at the time of his death by the
Torrington "Evening Register." The local organ says in part:

With the dawning of the new year came the news of the passing away of this man,
whose strong identification with the business interests of Torrington together with his
sweet and graceful charm as a citizen and friend make his loss a personal one to the
community.

©rsamus 2Roman JFpler

RSAMUS ROMAN FYI.ER, in whose death on November
22, 1909. Torrington, Connecticut, lost one of her most dis-
tinguished citizens and one who played an active and influ-
ential part in the affairs of the State of Connecticut, was
typical of a large class of successful men of affairs, who in
the past generation had so much to do with the phenomenal
development of New England during that period. He was
a member of an ancient and respected New England family which had come
to this country in the earliest colonial times and from that time onward had
occupied a prominent position in the life of the new land.

The immigrant ancestor of the Fylers in America was Lieutenant Wal-
ter Fyler, a native of England, who came to the colonies as early as the year
1634 and settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts, where the early records
show him to have been a freeman on May 14, of that year. In later life he
removed to Windsor, Connecticut. The representative of the family in
Revolutionary times was one Stephen Fyler, the grandfather of Orsamus
R. Fyler, and a prominent man in the community at that date. He served
in the war for independence, and although the records are somewhat vague
on the point, it seems probable that his term of service lasted from imme-
diately after his marriage to Polly Collier, of Windsor, in July, 1778, until
the end of the struggle. He received a pension for many years. He was a
very energetic man and engaged in all manner of enterprises, besides his
farming, and operated all manner of mills. He was a man possessed, not only
of physical courage, but of the moral kind as well, as is well illustrated in an
episode related of him among his descendants. He was according to this
account one of a jury before whom a trial was prosecuted. The other jurors
were seemingly moved by interested motives to attempt to bring about a
miscarriage of justice, which was only prevented by Mr. Fyler's refusal to
concur in a verdict which he felt to be iniquitous, and in holding out in this
for week after week under the most severe pressure, until the judge was
finally obliged to discharge the jury.

The father of Orsamus R. Fyler was Harlow Fyler, a son of the above
Stephen Fyler, and a man who inherited his many fine qualities. He was a
most capable business man and carried on many of his father's enterprises,
including a factory for the manufacture of cheese, and a brick kiln. He grew
very well-to-do and wielded a great influence in the course of events in his
community. He married for his second wife Sibyl R. Tolles, a daughter of
Joseph and Rosannah (Peck) Tolles, of Montague, Massachusetts.

Orsamus Roman Fyler, the eighth and youngest child of Harlow and
Sibyl R. (Tolles) Fyler, was born January 17, 1840, at Torrington, Connec-
ticut, and there passed his childhood and youth until the outbreak of the
Civil War when he was a young man of twenty-one. He obtained the more
elementary portion of his education at the local public schools, and later
completed his studies at Wesleyan Academy in Wilbraham, Massachusetts.

172 Drsamus Koman jFpIer

Shortly after his graduation from this institution came the call from Presi-
dent Lincoln for volunteers in the cause of the Union, a call to which Mr.
Fyler readily responded. He enlisted in the Nineteenth Regiment of Con-
necticut Volunteers and was mustered into service. His regiment was later
transformed into an artillery regiment, as the Second Connecticut Heavy
Artillery, and Mr. Fyler was appointed to aid in recruiting the ranks. He
was extremely successful in this undertaking, and with the assistance of a
number of others, succeeded in raising the roll of the regiment to eighteen
hundred men. He was commissioned a second lieutenant on February 6,
1864, mustered in at Arlington, Virginia, on March 4 of the same year, and
soon thereafter saw active service. His regiment, under the command of
Colonel Leverett W. Wessells, took part in a number of important actions,
among them being those of North Anna, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Welden
Railroad and Winchester. In many of these great encounters, the Second
Connecticut Heavy Artillery saw some severe fighting, but in none more so
than in the battles of Cold Harbor and Winchester. In the former the regi-
ment came into direct contact with the forces under General Longstreet and
after a desperate struggle were repulsed, though not until they had left three
hundred and twenty-three of their number on the field, one hundred and
twenty-nine of whom were either killed or mortally wounded. In this action
Lieutenant Fyler came off unscathed, but he was not so fortunate at Win-
chester. In the latter engagement the regiment played a most important
part and was largely instrumental in saving the day for the Union army.
The lost numbered one hundred and thirty-six killed and mortally wounded,
fourteen of whom were officers, including a number of his fellow lieutenants.
Lieutenant Fyler himself received a wound in his leg of a most serious
nature, which crippled him for life, so that he was ever after obliged to use
a crutch. This accident of course rendered him unfit for further service,
but it was some time before he could return home, the wound confining him
in a military hospital. Before it was possible to leave for the North, two
events occurred which were in some measure a compensation for what he
had suffered. The first was his commission as first lieutenant, which he
received while on his back, and which was awarded for gallantry in the field
at Winchester. The second occurrence was the casting of his first ballot for
the candidacy of Abraham Lincoln for President. Lieutenant Fyler recov-
ered at length sufficientl}^ to return to his home in Torrington, but some
idea of the seriousness of his wound may be gathered from the fact that a
year elapsed after his return before he was able to engage in active business
of any kind.

His first enterprise in the business world was the establishment of a
flour and grain trade under the firm name of O. R. Fyler & Company. He
conducted this business with considerable success for a matter of about two
years, when he received a political appointment which materially altered the
course of his career. After this event, which occurred in 1866. although Mr.
Fyler was associated with other important business and financial institu-
tions, these became of secondary importance and outside the main work of
his life, that of his service to the State. Such business enterprises as he was
later connected with were of a semi-public nature, such as the introduction

©rsamus Koman JFpIet 173

of a city water supply into Torrington, in which he was one of the prime
movers. He served with Senator Isaac W. Brooks and Charles F. Brooker
on the committee appointed by the town to conduct the original investiga-
tions regarding the proposed water works, and later with the same asso-
ciates had charge of the securing of subscriptions and the work of construc-
tion. He was also appointed superintendent of the work and it was under
his supervision that the plant was installed. Another such enterprise was
the organization and putting into operation of an electric railway between
Torrington and Winsted, Connecticut, the success of which enterprise was
largely due to his efforts. It was his energy and perseverance which suc-
ceeded in forming the corporation known as the Torrington and Winches-
ter Tramway Company by which the road was constructed. It was later
absorbed by the great Connecticut Company and became a part of its exten-
sive system of trolley lines.

The appointment referred to above, which turned the attention of Mr.
Fyler to politics, was made in 1866 by President Andrew Johnson, and was
for the postmastership of Torrington, an office which he held uninterrupt-
edly for a period of nineteen years, being twice reappointed by President
Grant, once by Hayes and once by Garfield, this being one of the very few
appointments of the sort made in Connecticut before the President's assassi-
nation. His management of this office was of a kind to establish his reputa-
tion in the community both as an efficient officer and a disinterested public
servant. The department was never run more to the people's satisfaction
than during his regime, and at its close affairs were found in the most
splendid condition. His tenure of office was finally terminated by the elec-
tion of the Democratic President, Grover Cleveland. It is unfortunate that
the idea of going into politics has to-day such sinister connotations, that it
so easily conveys the idea of reproach to the average person. In its simple,
old sense, before politics had reached the pitch of corruption which an
awakening public conscience is bringing to light, to enter politics implied
only one thing, a dominant interest in the conduct of public affairs. It was
upon such grounds that the great statesmen whose names we venerate as the
founders and moulders of the Republic entered politics, and despite the
popular skepticism it forms one of the principal grounds to-day for those
who take the same action. It was for this reason, at bottom a most altru-
istic one, that Mr. Fyler chose his career. He had always been a keen and
interested observer of the course of political events, and held strong opin-
ions on the issues, both local and national, which agitated the community.
His political eclipse upon the accession of Grover Cleveland to the presi-
dency was of short duration, and he was appointed on July i, of the follow-
ing year (1886), by Governor Henry B. Harrison, insurance commissioner
of the State. Mr. Fyler's appointment was due, it is said, in a large measure
to the campaign waged in his favor by Stephen A. Hubbard, of the Hartford
"Courant," who had a boundless admiration for the natural gifts and scrupu-
lous honor of the man. In the larger and more responsible office of insur-
ance commissioner, Mr. Fyler measured amply up to the stature of his new
duties, difficult and unfamiliar to him as they were. He corrected many
abuses which had continued unchecked up to his time. He instituted search-

174 Drsamus Koman JFpIet

ing inquiries into the condition of the various companies of the State, taking
for granted nothing and not even accepting for examinations, with the result
that some of the well known companies, among them the Charter Oak, and
the Continental Life Insurance companies, went into the hands of receivers.
His inquiry into the condition of the insurance financially was made with
especial reference to their holdings in western real estate. His activities
were productive of great changes for the better in the insurance world
throughout the State and were commended highly by right-thinking busi-
ness men and financiers, and by the people at large. Mr. Fyler lent his aid
to the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company of Hartford, in the matter
of its reorganizing on a mutual basis, and supervised the operation. His
conduct of the department was so satisfactory that he was reappointed by
Governors P. C. Lounsbury and Morgan C. Bulkeley, and when at last he
turned over the work to his successor, it was a reorganized and systematized
department that the latter had to begin with. Mr. Fyler became the candi-
date of his party for the State Legislature, in 1886, and won the election,
representing Torrington in the following session. He was also sent by his
town as a representative to the State Constitutional Convention held in the
year 1902. In the year 1896, during the campaign of McKinley for the
Presidency, Mr. Fyler accepted the chairmanship of the Republican central
committee of the State and made one of the most efficient chairmen the
party has ever had. His work, however, was extremely arduous and when
he added still more to it in the shape of his labors in the constitutional con-
vention, his health gave way, and he was seized with an attack of nervous
prostration which lasted for several years. He was obliged to resign as
chairman of the central committee, and did so with great regret, as he had
held that office during some of the most memorable struggles that had tried
the State organization of the party, struggles which had owed their success-
ful termination in no small degree to the strong though tactful handling
of the State chairman. In the course of time Mr. Fyler made a complete
recovery from his trying malady, and with his recovery came also renewed
political activity. In the year 1897 he was appointed by Governor Lorrin A.
Cooke to a membership in the State railroad commission, an office which he
was holding at the time of his death.

Besides his political activities, Mr. Fyler was an active participant in
many departments of the community's life. He was a prominent figure in
the social life of the town and was always ready with aid of all kinds for any
movement that seemed in his judgment calculated to advance the interests
of Torrington. He never forgot his sometime military associations and
always kept them up as far as he could, being a prominent and enthusiastic
member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion. He served on the com-
mission formed to honor the memory of General Sedgwick with a monu-
ment. He attended the Congregational church.

Mr. Fyler's personal character was one which impressed itself irresist-
ably upon all men. His strong, open face inspired immediate confidence,
a confidence which he did everything to justify in every relation of life.
How greatly his loss was felt, not only by his immediate family and friends,
but by a wide circle of associates, may be gathered from the number and

©t0amus Koman jFpIer 175

variety of the messages of condolences sent to his stricken family at the
time of his death. These included words from President Taft, Governor
Wepks of Connecticut. Senators Buckley and Brandegee, and many other
prominent men throughout the State and country.

Mr. Fyler was married, December 14, 1865. to Mary E. Vaill, of Tor-
rington, a daughter of David and Sarah (Bliss) Vaill, of that place. Mrs.
Fyler is a member of a very well known New England family, descended
from Jeremiah Vaill, the immigrant ancestor, who came to America and set-
tled in Salem, Massachusetts, as early as 1639. To Mr. and Mrs. Fyler was
born one child, a daughter, Gertrude B. Fyler, who became the wife of Ed-
ward Henry Hotchkiss, of Torrington.

(S^eorge ®. ISaorfeman

*HOUGH NOT a native of Torrington, Connecticut, nor indeed
of America at all, George D. Workman was as closely
identified with the industrial growth of that place, and his
death on June 7, IQ09, was as great a loss to it as any of its
native sons. Mr. Workman was a member of that dominant
race which first settled the colonies which later became the
United States, and which has contributed so greatly to the
makeup of our composite American population, throughout the warp and
woof of whose fabric its blood is commingled, and to the formation of the
institutions which so splendidly distinguish this young nation. The coat-
of-arms of the Workman family is as follows: Gules. Quartered. First.
A tower argent. Second. The fasces of the Roman lictors sustaining a cross
quartered argent and sable. Third. Three swallows, sable. Fourth. Argent,
a hand flesh colored, holding a cross sharpened at bottom azure. Motto: I
trust in God.

He was born in Gloucester, England, July 2;^,, 1835, but did not live there
more than a year. His father, who had married Caroline Franklin, a native
of his own town of Gloucester, came to America in 1836, bringing with him
his wife and two children ; his grandfather, James Workman, came later.
Once in the United States Samuel Workman, our subject's father, settled
in New York City where he secured employment as a wool grader. He did
not remain long in New York, however, but a year later removed to Tor-
rington, Connecticut, where he found work of the same kind, and so George
D. Workman first came to the place which was to be his home and the scene
of his busy activity until the close of his life. Mr. Workman, Sr., was an
extremely industrious and frugal man and, after working for some years in
his emplovment as wool-grader, he found himself able to buy an interest in
the Union Manufacturing Company, of Torrington, the business of which
was the making of woolen cloth. This gave him the start he had desired and
he continued to buy stock from time to time until, in 1873, fourteen years
from his first purchase, he was actually the largest stockholder in the firm
and owned a controlling interest. For some time prior to this he had acted
as wool-buyer for the company, and he continued in this position until the
year 1861. His death occurred in 1879.

In the pleasant town of Torrington, George D. Workman grew up to
manhood, the child of increasingly good circumstances, as his father's
affairs prospered. For his education he attended the excellent local schools,
where his bright, alert mind won for him the favorable regard of his instruc-
tors. Upon completing his studies he entered at once the mill of the Union
Manufacturing Company, and there, under the able guidance of his father,
learned the details of woolen manufacture. When his father resigned from
active service as wool-buyer in 1861, young Mr. Workman took his place and
very shortly made himself an important factor in the company. Following
his father's example he began in 1865, to buy stock, and in 1883 became the

4,XMi>::^-.

J>^/iii(if( // ^ r/r /^frf /^

(Seorge D. Cfilotbman 177

largest holder, just ten years after his father had accomplished the same
thing-. In 1873 he entered the office of the concern with the position of agent
and treasurer and was soon on the high-road to the control of the business.
His ability and grasp of his subject made him an invaluable member of the
management and in the year 1883, at the same time he became the principal
stockholder, he was elected president of the company. Mr. Workman's
younger brother, John Workman, and a nephew, Samuel C. Workman, also
entered the business and became officers therein, the former treasurer and
the latter secretary. Under the able management of the Workmans, the
business has thriven enormously and is now regarded as one of the most
important industrial enterprises in the region of Torrington. The company
was organized in 1845, ^"d always maintained its excellent reputation as the
maker of first quality of woolen goods, but its growth was not so phe-
nomenal until Mr. Workman's business genius began to be felt in the con-
duct of afifairs. In the year 1894 the name was changed to the present one,
the Warrenton Woolen Company, and in 1907 the operations had become so
large that it was necessary to seek larger quarters. A large tract was bought
in the northern part of the borough and a new and splendid plant con-
structed, and fitted with every modern appliance and the most complete
equipment for the manufacture of woolen goods. Formerly the sole maker
of a well known quality of broad cloth, the company now devotes itself as
a specialty to the manufacture of the fine grade of cloth used in the making
of uniforms, such as those worn by military and police bodies. The business
employs more than a hundred hands and the period of development initiated
by Mr. Workman still continues. As head of the woolen business Mr.
Workman's position in the industrial and financial worlds of Torrington
was very influential and it was rendered even more so through his connec-
tion with other important institutions. He was president of the Torrington
National Bank, and through that association exerted a beneficial influence in
financial circles throughout the region. He also established and was presi-
dent of the Workman-Rawlinson Company of Toirington, which transacted
a large business in furniture in the town. Besides these various ventures,
Mr. Workman also entered the great field of public utilities, and became the
president of Torrington Electric Light Company.

Mr. Workman was a man of the most extraordinary powers, a business
genius, with a great talent for organization and an ability to foresee con-
tingencies that was remarkable, but although he gave the best of his energies
to that department of endeavor for which his talents fitted him, and was
known first and last as a business man and an industrial leader, he was also
well known as a most public spirited citizen, ready at all times and to the
best of his powers to aid whatever movement was really to the advantage
of the community. His life was one that might well serve the youth of his
town as a model of good citizenship, possessed, as it was of so many elements
of strength and virtue. He was a lifelong member of the Episcopal church
in Torrington, of which his father had been one of the founders, and for
many years was an ardent participant in the work of the parish, and a sup-
porter of the many benevolences connected therewith. He made an import-
ant place for himself in his adopted country, and his death left a gap, at once
in the Connecticut industrial world and in the community of his fellowmen.

CONN-VoI III_12

Henrp (Bilkttt Colt

^HE DEATH OF Henry Gillette Colt, of Winsted, Connecti-
cut, on November 21, 1897, deprived that city of one of its
most useful and energetic citizens, and one wrho was most
closely identified with its life and traditions. Mr. Colt was
sprung from fine old New England stock, his parents being
Henry and Chloe (Catlin) Colt, old and highly-respected
residents of Torringford, Connecticut. Mr. Colt, Sr., was
born there on November 25, 1800, Mrs. Colt being a native of Harwinton in
the same State, where her birth occurred on June 24, 1805. They were
married October 19, 1829, and the Mr. Colt of this sketch was the eldest of
their five children.

Henry Gillette Colt was born November 2, 1832, at Torringford, Con-
necticut, and there passed the greater part of his childhood in the midst of
that beautiful and wholesome rural environment. His father was a success-
ful farmer and blacksmith and it was on his large farm that the lad lived
his life out-of-doors, and laid the foundation of a strong and healthy man-
hood. He attended for a time the local school, but reaching the age where
he could be trusted to care for himself, his father who thought more
advanced instruction advisable, sent him to Stockbridge, Massachusetts,
there to attend the well known Williams Academy. After his education at
Williams Academy he spent two years in New Haven in the office of Anson
J. Colt, coal dealer. Before returning to the farm he was traveling salesman
for a year. He returned to Torringford and his father's house where he
remained until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Mr. Colt was at that
time twenty-nine years of age and he at once olifered his services to his
country, enlisting, May 7, 1861, in the Second Regiment Infantry, Connec-
ticut Volunteers, as a private. He received an honorable discharge from the
service on August 7 of the same year and returned once more to Torring-
ford. He left Torringford finally in 1867 and removed to Winsted, where he
continued to live during the remainder of his life, and where he soon became
associated with the industrial interests. His first connection of this sort was
with the Strong Manufacturing Company, makers of casket trimmings on a
large scale. Of this concern he was elected a director in 1871, and in 1877
became the general manager. His great energy and skill in handling men
now were displayed to the greatest advantage, and under his management
the business increased conspicuously. Three years before his death, his
health which until then had appeared excellent, failed him and he was forced
to retire from active participation in the afi^airs of the concern. Even after
this retirement, however, he was sought by his successors for advice, and
until the day of his death continued to exercise a potent influence upon the
policies of the company. Mr. Colt's business interests did not end with the
Strong Manufacturing Company, and he became connected with several
other important institutions among which may be mentioned the Winsted
Silk Company, the Winsted Edge Tool Works and the Winsted Savings

S-^-tyt^

.^^/~

^entp (£)fnettc Colt 179

Bank of which he was vice-president. For a number of years he occupied
one of the most prominent places in business activities of that section, and
exercised a great influence upon the course of industrial and financial
development there.

During his early years Mr. Colt was an active figure in politics, and
while still a resident of Torringford was very prominent in the Republican
party. In 1863, but shortly after his return from active service in the war, he
became the candidate of that party for the State Legislature and served in
that body for a term. After his removal to Winsted, though he retained his
former keen interest in all political questions, he withdrew from active
political work, and rather avoided than sought public office of any kind.
On questions of local and national importance he leaned to independent
views and was generally known among his associates for his progressive
ideas as well as for tolerance of the opinions of others. For many years he
was a member of the Society of the Second Congregational Church of
Winsted, aiding materially the work connected with the church, its many
charities and benevolences.

Mr. Colt married, March 19, 1874, Annette Griswold, at Winsted. Mrs.
Colt was a native of Norfolk, Connecticut, born June 23, 1849, daughter of
James and Catharine (Lane) Griswold, old residents of that place. At a
very early age she accompanied her parents to Indiana, where she passed
her girlhood. At the age of seventeen she returned to be educated in New
England and attended Mrs. Phillips' School in Winsted. Her death occurred
May I, 1886. Soon her sister, Mrs. H. G. Millard, came to have the care of
the children and since that day remains in charge of the household. To Mr.
and Mrs. Colt had been born three children, two of whom are now living
and the third deceased. The eldest of the children is Ella Chloe, born De-
cember 19, 1874; she attended the Robbins School at Norfolk, Connecticut,
and later Wellesley College, from which she was graduated with the class of
1897; she is the wife of Harrison G. Fay, A. M., a graduate of Harvard
University and teacher in New York Training School ; they have three chil-
dren: Henry Colt, Priscilla Brigham and Gilbert Jefiferson. The second
child of Mr. and Mrs. Colt, also a daughter, is Florence Annette, born Janu-
ary 7, 1876; educated at the Boxwood School in Old Lyme, Connecticut, and
at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn ; she is now a resident of Winsted, where she
still dwells with Mrs. Millard in the beautiful home owned by Mr. Colt at
No. 55 Walnut street. The third child of Mr. and Mrs. Colt was a son,
Henry Lane, born July 15, 1877, died February 24, 1901 ; he received his
education at the Robbins School at Norfolk, the Worcester Academy and a
business college in Boston.

Mr. Colt's citizenship was of a kind that might well serve as a model
for the young men of the community. Possessing those sterling virtues
which are typical of New England character, simplicity and straightforward
democracy, he represented that union of idealism and practical sense which
renders the most valuable service to the community. His place in the busi-
ness world was an enviable one, and he had a universal reputation for the
most undeviating integrity and the soundest judgment. He was not a jot
less admired as a man than was he as a financier and captain of industry,

[8o

^entp (g>illette Colt

indeed the memory of him in his private relations, as a husband and father,
as the head of his household, as a good neighbor and friend, is perhaps more
vivid than that of the successful man of afifairs. He was a social man,
delighting in the society of his fellows, especially when it was of an informal,
spontaneous nature, though for that more formal kind of social function he
had no great fondness. His chief happiness was found in the life of his
home, where his own individuality found its readiest and most typical
expression, not only in his own conduct, but in moulding the external
features of the house and place to fit his taste and fancy. It is for this reason
one notices a charm in No. 55 Walnut street which is lacking in many more
pretentious homes.

I

3(ap €llerp ^pauHJing

AY ELLERY SPAULDING, in whose death on January 6,
191 1, Winsted, Connecticut, lost one of the most prominent
of its citizens, and the Connecticut business world a con-
spicuous figure, was the product of that special set of con-
ditions which obtained as nowhere else in colonial America,
and have continued almost unbrokenly down to the present
time. These conditions were such that culture, education
and refinement were subjected to a severe simplicity of life unusual, so that
men and women possessing all these advantages were thrown upon an
economic equality with the humblest. However such people may have felt
at the time about this state of affairs, the resultant development in New
England has certainly displayed a population whose high character speaks
loudly in favor of the arrangement.

The Spaulding family, of which the subject of this sketch is a member,
is one of three lines resident in this country, of which all but a few recent
immigrants who bear the name of Spaulding are members. The immigrant
ancestor of this particular line was Edward Spaulding. who came from
England about the year 1630, and settled in Braintree, Massachusetts, where
he became prominent. His name appears on the list of proprietors as early
as 1640, and he was a freeman on May 13 of the same year. He was one of
the petitioners for the grant for the town of Chelmsford, made October i,
1645, ^"d he became one of the original settlers of that place, where he con-
tinued to live the rest of his life. He was one of the most influential men in
the community he had helped to found, and held many offices of trust,
among them being selectman for a number of years, in 1648 a juryman, and
in 1663 the surveyor of highways. From this worthy forebear, a long line
of capable and cultivated men have arisen, who nevertheless were obliged
by the exigencies of their situation in a new and untamed continent to resort
to the two primitive occupations, husbandry and war. In the time of the
grandfather of Mr. Spaulding, the family removed to Northampton, Fulton
county. New York, where its occupation continued to be farming. Mr.
Spaulding's father, Lockwood Spaulding, was a native of Northampton,
New York, and a lifelong resident of the place, where he became a man of
distinction, a deacon of the church and a justice of the peace. He was mar-
ried to Miss Mary Ann Spaulding who was the mother of his six children.
Jay Ellery Spaulding, the third child of Lockwood and Mary Ann
(Spaulding) Spaulding, was a native of Northampton, Fulton county. New
York, where he was born August 15, 1846. He was educated in the local
public schools and passed the first twenty years of his life in his native town.
In the year 1866 he removed to the State of Connecticut, which had for so
long been the home of his forebears, and settled in Winsted, Litchfield
county, where he secured a position as clerk in a hardware store. After a
time spent in this employment he engaged in the same business for two years
in partnership with J. J. Whiting and S. F. Dickerman, of Winsted. Like

1 82 3lap (BUttv ^pauIDing

so many of the young men of that day Mr. Spaulding was possessed of a
strong desire to see the West, the vast size and boundless opportunities of
which were even more alluring in that day than at present, when it has been
more completely reduced to the order of things known. He consequently
seized the first opportunity of going out in that region and accepted the
ofifer of a position in the Old National Bank of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He
did not remain in the West later than the year 1872, when he returned to
Winsted, Connecticut, and there commenced the long and close association
with J. G. Wetmore which only terminated with the latter's death. Mr. Wet-
more and himself became interested in the New England Pin Company.
Mr. Wetmore becoming president of the concern, and Mr. Spaulding general
ofiice man. Upon the death of Mr. Wetmore he became treasurer and
general manager of the concern, and later became president of the company,
and what was already a flourishing business rapidly grew to its present great
proportions, and took rank among the largest and most important indus-
trial enterprises in that region. The unusual business capacity of Mr.
Spaulding, which was in the main responsible for this result, soon made
him a conspicuous figure in financial and industrial circles of Winsted and
his interests rapidly grew wider until he became connected with many of the
most important business concerns in the neighborhood. Such was the case
with the Carter-Hakes Machine Company, the New England Knitting Com-
pany, and the Morgan Silverplate Company, of all of which he was the
president and a member of the board of directors. He was also vice-presi-
dent of the Citizens Printing Company, and president of the Music Hall. He
became a power in the industrial world and was honored as one of the fore-
most business men in the community.

But great as was his influence in this direction, and great as were his
activities in connection with all his manifold business interests, Mr. Spauld-
ing did not do as so many of our modern captains of industry are prone to,
that is wrap themselves up in an impenetrable atmosphere of business from
which they never descend to the consideration of other things. Mr. Spauld-
ing was possessed of too wide an understanding not to perceive that such a
course means the inevitable narrowing of a man's outlook and sympathies,
and the atrophy of his being. Pursuing the opposite course, he forever
sought to widen the horizon of his activities, to develop his sympathies and
increase the points of contact which he possessed with his fellow men. This
was not a conscious efifort on his part but rather the instinctive conduct of a
man who had seen too much of the great world of life to desire to shut him-
self up in the small world of his private interests. It was for this reason that
he took a vital interest in all movements for the improvement of his adopted
town, and aided with his time and energy all such as appeared to him of
genuine value. He served on the committee appointed by the town to take
charge of the improvements made in the water system, and as a trustee of
the Memorial Park and Soldiers Monument Associations. In politics too,
Mr. Spaulding took an active part but always actuated by the purest, most
disinterested motives. He was a member of the Republican party, and a
keen observer of, and a wise commentator on the political issues which
agitated the country during his life. Nor was he less interested in local

3|ap (Ellcrp ©pauIDfng 183

issues, and the conduct of State and municipal affairs. A man of Mr. Spauld-
ing's business prominence, who possessed in addition the highest social
standing, and a deep and genuine popularity, measured up in every par-
ticular to the standard of a successful political candidate, could not be long
overlooked as such by the local organization of his party. He had served his
fellow citizens already for many years as burgess and warden of the bor-
ough of Winsted, and for fourteen years was treasurer of the town, when he
was offered and accepted the nomination for General Assemblyman to repre-
sent his town in the State Legislature. He was elected and served as a
member of that body during the year 1895, serving also on the Committee
on Incorporations and as clerk of the Litchfield County Representatives.

Another of the manifold activities of Mr. Spaulding was in connection
with the fire department, in which he was very much interested. He was
vice-president of the State Association of Firemen, and did much to develop
the efficiency of fire protection in his own town, and indirectly elsewhere.
But even this does not exhaust the list of Mr. Spaulding's interests and
manifold activities. He was a conspicuous figure in the social life of the
community and an active member of many fraternities, clubs and other
similar organizations. He was a member of the St. Andrew's Lodge, Free
and Accepted Masons, of Winsted; of the Unity Lodge, Knights of Pythias;
of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Winsted, and of the
Improved Order of Red Men.

Mr. Spaulding's character was an unusual one, a fact reflected in his
personal appearance, wherein might be seen a combination of rare traits.
Perhaps the first of these to catch the eye of the stranger was the look of
indomitable resolution, always the accompaniment of the strict moralist,
who allows no personal consideration to conflict with his idea of honor and
duty to his fellowmen. It is also easy to note the acute, intelligent eye of the
man of the world, the purposeful man, the man not easily deceived. Yet
these characters, which if unbalanced so easily lead to hardness and indiffer-
ence to the rights of others, are obviously in his instance modified and soft-
ened by a kindly human sympathy, and an abiding sense of humor. If it was
the first of these traits which caught the notice of the stranger, it was the
last which his friends were most conscious of. These qualities showing out
in his countenance had their homologues in his actual character, a character
which gave him a leading place among his fellow citizens, and made his
death felt as a loss not only by his immediate family and personal friends,
but in a real sense by the community at large.

Mr. Spaulding was twice married. His first wife was Miss Elizabeth
Rossiter Wetmore, whom he married May g, 1872, and who died February
II, 1890. Of this union were born two children, the eldest of whom was a
daughter, Louise Wetmore, born August 30, 1873, and died May 24, 1914.
She was married, June 12, 1895, to the Hon. James W. Husted, of Peekskill,
New York, who has just been elected Congressman from New York State.
The father of the Hon. Mr. Husted was also James W. Husted, a member of
the General Assembly of New York State, and speaker of the House for a
number of years. Both father and son were members of the Assembly and
both leaders of the Republican party in their State. To Mr. and Mrs. Husted

184 3[ag (gllerp ^pauIDmg

were born six children, as follows: James W., Jr., May 15, 1896; John G.,
October 8, 1897; Priscilla Alden. February 25, 1899; David R., April i, 1900;
Ellery S., March 3, 1901 ; and Robert, January 27, 1906. The second child of
Mr. and Mrs. Spaulding was John Wetmore, born November 9, 1878, and
died March 27, 1895. Mr. Spaulding married, on June 30, 1892, Miss Grace
W. Hopkins, of Winsted. She was born at Torringford, April 27, 1867, a
daughter of Edward T. and Gertrude (Waterman) Hopkins, of that place.

(Seorge WlafeefieHi i^Jjelps

EORGE WAKEFIELD PHELPS, in whose death on June 6,
1896, Winsted, Connecticut, lost one of its most highly-
respected citizens, was a member of the old and eminent
Phelps family which has been so closely identified with the
life and activities of New England from the earliest colonial
times, and which has contributed so many worthy sons. The
name, from the time of his earliest traceable forebears, has
been greatly and frequently altered in spelling, its origin being undoubtedly
the Christian name of Phillip, with the "s" added to signify the son of. About
the year 1520 there was born in Tewksbury, Gloucestershire, England, one
James Phelps, who was the common ancestor of the many related branches
of the family in Connecticut.

His grandson, William Phelps, was the immigrant, coming to America
with his brother George, his wife and six children, on board the good ship,
"Mary and John," Captain Squeb, from Plymouth. He landed at Nantasket,
now Hull, May 30, 1630, after a voyage lasting two months and ten days,
and settled at Dorchester, being indeed one of the founders of the place. He
became a freeman later in the same year and was a prominent man in the
community, holding many positions, serving on commissions, and generally
making himself a conspicuous figure in the region. He was one of the jurors
in the first jury trial ever held in New England. William Phelps later
removed to Windsor, Connecticut, and eventually became Governor of the
Windsor Colony. From this ancestor are descended a number of collateral
lines, which have given to Connecticut such men as Guy R. Phelps, Eli
Phelps, William H. Phelps and George W. Phelps, who was of the seventh
generation from the immigrant ancestor.

William H. Phelps, the father of George Wakefield Phelps, was one of
Winsted's most eminent citizens, and most closely identified with the great
industrial and business development of that place. He lived in the West a
part of his life, in the city of Chicago, and while there founded the success-
ful mercantile house, which years after, when the original firm had sold their
interest to others, became the great nationally famous house of Marshall
Field & Company. In the meantime Mr. Phelps had returned to Winsted,
Connecticut, and there organized and founded the Hurlbut Bank, holding
the office of president until his death. A great many of Winsted's best
known men have been associated with this institution, and many have had
their business training within its walls. William H. Phelps married, in 1840,
Lucy C. Wakefield, of Winsted, who became the mother of his two children,
of whom George Wakefield was the elder.

George Wakefield Phelps was born July 25. 1842, in Hitchcocksville,
Litchfield county, Connecticut. He passed his whole life in Winsted, where
he gained the more elementary portion of his education, attending the local
schools. He later went to school in Litchfield and Essex, and finally com-
pleted his studies in the well known Everett School of Hampden, Connec-

1 86 (George maktUtlH Pfielpis

ticut. After graduating from the last named institution, he was given a
position in the Hurlbut Bank in Winsted, of which his father was the presi-
dent. His easy grasp of the details of the banking business quickly won him
promotion and it was not long before he had risen to the ofifice of cashier.
He did not carry his financial career any further, however, resigning from
the bank upon the death of his father in 1864.

Mr. Phelps was better known in Winsted as a man of affairs than as a
banker, and in the former sphere of activity he was a prominent and popular
figure. He was a keen observer of the course of political events during his
life, and his judgments in the matter of the issues which at that time agitated
the country were both sound and tolerant. He was a lifelong member of the
Democratic party, and a staunch upholder of its principles and policies. He
took an active part in the local organization of the party and his voice was
for many years influential in its councils. The conduct of the afifairs of the
community interested him greatly from the most altruistic of motives. He
was the candidate of his party for offices a number of times and served his
fellow citizens most faithfully and effectively as warden of the borough, and
later as Winsted's representative in the State Legislature. Mr. Phelps
attended the Episcopal church at Winsted. He was very active in the work
of the parish, serving as vestryman for a number of years, and materially
supporting the philanthropies connected therewith. He was a man of strong
religious feeling who, not content with its mere profession, translated his
belief into the terms of his daily life and conduct, and observed a truly Chris-
tian attitude in his associations with all men.

Mr. Phelps married, February, 1867, Ellen M. Forbes, a native of Shef-
field, Massachusetts, born November 13, 1840, and a daughter of William A.
and Minerva (Shears) Forbes, of that place. To Mr. and Mrs. Phelps were
born four children, three sons and a daughter. The eldest of these was
Launcelot Lawrence Phelps, born June 4, 1869, and died September 15 in
the same year. Judith Bigelow Phelps was the second child, born November
8, 1870, and now Mrs. Ralph W. Holmes, of Winsted, and the mother of two
daughters, Ellen, born May 30, 1908, and Belinda, born July 27, 1910. The
third child of Mr. Phelps is William Henry Phelps, now the cashier of the
Hurlbut Bank, having succeeded to the position formerly held by his father
in the institution founded by his grandfather; he married Mary Pelton and
has one child, George, born May 10, 1909. Mr. Phelps' fourth and youngest
child is Launcelot, born August 24, 1880, educated at the local public schools
and at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and now the train master at
Utica of the New York Central railroad; he married Olivia Smith, and by
her has had two children, Pierson Smith, born April 19, 1907, and Mary
Morton, born May 24, 1909.

Henrp (S^ap

ENRY GAY, in whose death on May 17, 1908, Winsted, Con-
necticut, lost one of the most respected and well loved of its
citizens, was a splendid example of those strong men who,
in the past generation, brought so tremendous an industrial
and financial development to New England. Like so many of
his contemporaries, Mr. Gay was the product of two factors,
which are apparently well fitted in combination to produce
the strong yet polished type that has made New England famous. These
factors are those of a cultured and refined origin and an environment of
simplicity with wealth just sufficient for the necessities of life and hard work
the condition of continued livelihood. As to the first of these factors, Mr.
Gay was descended on both sides of the house from fine old English stock,
both paternal and maternal families coming to America during early colonial
days. The immigrant ancestor on his father's side was John Gay, who came
from England and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts, in the year 1630,
being a grantee in the great dividends and in Beaver Brook plow-lands. He
was admitted as a freeman May 6, 1635, and later removed to Dedham, then
known as Contentment, Massachusetts, where he died in 1688. The mater-
nal ancestor was John Reed, a native of Cornwall, England, who when
young served in Oliver Cromwell's army, and after the restoration crossed
to the colonies and settled in Providence, Rhode Island. He later removed
to Norwalk, Connecticut, where his name is mentioned in the records of
1687. From both of these sources, honorable and prominent careers may be
traced in their respective families until they finally converge in the parents
of Mr. Gay. These were Henry Sanford and Mary (Reed) Gay, the former
a native of Sharon, Connecticut, where he was born, March 14, 1790, and the
latter of Salisbury in the same State, her birth taking place April 5, 1796. It
was upon his father's farm at Salisbury, that Henry Gay of this sketch first
saw the light of day on April 5, 1834. His mother died when he was little
more than three years of age. His father was a man of the highest ideals
and the boy grew up under the best of influences. He continued to live on
his father's farm and there gave such of his time as could be spared from the
necessary schooling to aiding his father in the farm work. It is probably in
this, his healthy youthful environment, that the second factor in the develop-
ment of his sterling character is to be found. Certain it is that there is no
training to be found better calculated to develop such characters as we
possess than the wholesome labor of the farm, involving, as it does, the
closest contact with the simple, elemental facts of Nature.

In such an enviroment Mr. Gay passed the first years of his life, growing
through boyhood to early manhood. For the more formal part of his educa-
tion he attended the local schools. He must have been of an exceedingly
bright mind even in those early days, for he was able to absorb all the educa-
tion which the district common school had to offer and attend the semi-
naries, first at Salisbury and then at Winsted for three years, before he was

i88 l^cntp aap

fourteen years of age. His lot was similar to the majority of farmers' sons
in that day and generation, in that the exigencies of his circumstances forced
him to become self-supporting early, so at fourteen, he abandoned school
and found employment as clerk in a country dry goods store at the little
town of Lakeville, Connecticut. He continued in this service for four years,
and then left Lakeville and made his way to Falls Village, Connecticut,
where a position had been ofifered him in the Iron Bank and thus entered
upon the career in which he was to make so important a place for himself.
He did not remain long with the Iron Bank, but in 1854, when twenty years
old, came to Winsted, which remained his home until his death, and there
once more devoted himself to banking. His unusual mind and the great
grasp of the business which he quickly attained to, soon made him a promi-
nent figure in the banking and financial world of that region, and in the
course of his career of more than fifty years, identified him with prac-
tically all the important institutions of the kind thereabouts, as well as with
many industrial and business concerns. The list of these is an extraordinary
one, and conveys some idea of the part played by him in the development of
Winsted and the surrounding region. He was for many years president of
the Hurlbut National Bank of Winsted, and of the Winsted Edge Tool Com-
panv. He was also a director in the latter concern and in the following: The
William L. Gilbert Clock Company; the Winsted Hosiery Company; the
New England Knitting Company; the George Dudley and Sons Company;
the Morgan Silver Plate Company; the Winsted Gas Company; the Con-
necticut Western Railway Company; the Richards Hardware Company;
the Winsted Silk Company and the Citizens' Printing Company. He was
also a member of the partnership known as the Winsted Yarn Company. In
spite of the manifold duties connected with the management of these con-
cerns, a task which would seem in itself a quite sufficient burden for the
average shoulders to bear, Mr. Gay was one of the most active figures in
Winsted in many other aspects of the city's life. In all measures for the
improvement of the community, he was prominent, giving with equal gener-
osity of his time, his money and his energy. He was president of the Gilbert
Home and a trustee of the Gilbert School, being himself the donor of the
land upon which the former stands. He was president of the Winchester
Soldiers Memorial Park Association, incorporator of the Litchfield County
Hospital and chairman of the trustees of its permanent funds; and he was
president of the Beardsley Library. He was also greatly interested in the
development of real estate in Winsted and the neighborhood, and dealt
extensively therein.

Another sphere of activities in which Mr. Gay's abilities and character
shone with peculiar lustre was that of politics. He was one of the original
members of the Republican party, when it was founded in 1854, and that
party held his allegiance until his death, or rather the principles for which
the party stood, for Mr. Gay was far too independent a character to follow
save where his reason and judgment led. He was always active in local
afifairs, and his voice was one of the most influential in the local Republican
councils. The party was not slow in realizing that Mr. Gay's prominence and
universal popularity would make him the strongest available candidate for

J^enrp (Sap 189

many offices within the gift of the State. He was nominated and duly elected
six times to represent the town of Winchester, in the State Legislature,
serving in that body from 1875 to 1877, ^"d l^ter in the years 1879, ^S^S ^^^
i88q. His well known mastery of the banking situation in the State caused
him to be placed upon the legislative committee on finance, where he served
as chairman, during his last term.

Mr. Gay was married, May 20, 1857, when twenty-three years of age,
to Charlotte E. Watson, a native of New Hartford. Connecticut, where she
was born January 8, 1835, and a daughter of Thomas and Emeline (Curtis)
Watson, of that place. Mrs. Gay, who survives her husband, is a member of
a well known Connecticut family, which migrated from England to that
colony sometime prior to 1644, in which year the name of John Watson
appears in the Hartford records as a juror. To Mr. and Mrs. Gay was born
one child, Mary Watson Gay, born June 19, i860, died August 25, 1901 ;
married Dr. Edward L. Pratt, a prominent physician of Winsted. Their
son, Henry Gay Pratt, who was born May 25. 1891, graduated from the
Winsted High School when eighteen, then spent a year traveling abroad,
then entered Colby College and graduated from there June, 1914, and is now
a student in the University of Law, at Boston, Massachusetts.

Upon the personality of Henry Gay no clearer light can be thrown than
that contained in the phrase he used to employ to describe his work in life,
"making rough ground smooth." And let it be quickly admitted that there
are few more noble functions. His appearance bore out well the implication
contained in the words. The kindly, great hearted gentleman is disclosed in
his genial smile and level, candid eyes, the man who knows the world too
well to entertain an intolerant thought for his fellows, the man who would
do what he could to render the paths which we mortals tread more easy, who
would make "rough ground smooth" as well as he might. He possessed
great business capacity, and was looked up to for his advice by all his asso-
ciates in that world, but there are many of whom this may be said; he was
of unimpeachable integrity in all the relations of life, but so are many men.
What gave him his especial distinction was that charitable outlook upon life
which is shared by but few of us, that milk of human kindness which made
him ready to listen to all men high and low, because they were men, and con-
sequently his brothers, which made him lend a helping hand to so many and
make the ground smooth for all who associated with him. There was
scarcely a department of life in the community which did not feel his death
a very real loss, each in its own way missed him, from the family of which
he was so beloved a member to the community at large, every member of
which had something to feel grateful to him for, even if it were only the
most casual contact with a personality which irradiated good cheer. For
over fifty years Mr. Gay was a member of the Second Congregational
Church of Winsted, and during the entire time he was active in the work of
the congregation. His religion was a very important factor in his life, and it
was that true religion which, not content with occasional profession, be-
comes part and parcel of the daily life.

I^enrp Austin iSotsfort

HISTORY OF the lives of well known men of the State of
Connecticut would be incomplete did it not contain a record
of Henry Austin Botsford, late of Hartford, Connecticut.
As a man and as a citizen he displayed a personal worth and
an excellence of character that not only commanded the
respect of those with whom he was associated but won him
the warmest personal admiration and the staunchest friend-
ships. With a mind and heart deeply concerned with the afifairs of life, the
interests of humanity in general, and those problems bearing upon the wel-
fare of the race, he nevertheless possessed good business capacity and pro-
vided well for his family, becoming a highly successful man in the accepted
sense of the term of gaining wealth. Aside from his business afifairs, how-
ever, he found time for the championship of many progressive public meas-
ures, recognized the opportunities for reform, advancement and improve-
ment, and labored effectively and earnestly for the general good. Mr. Bots-
ford was a descendant of an old Connecticut family.

His father, William Botsford, was born in that State, and was the
owner of a farm at Watertown, which he sold, purchased one in Salisbury,
and lived on that until his death. He married Fanny Baldwin, of Litchfield.
Henry Austin Botsford was born on the homestead in Watertown, Con-
necticut, April 23, 182 1, and died on Easter Sunday, April 14, 1895. He was
very young when he removed to Salisbury with his parents, and received his
school education in that town. This was the usual one of a farmer's son in
those days, which meant that he attended the district school for a short
period each winter, and devoted his entire time during the summer months
to the cultivation of the farm. Later he became a clerk for his brother, who
conducted a store in the State of New York. Returning to his native State
in 1851, he purchased and conducted a large hotel at Falls Village, and lived
there three years. He was deputy sheriff of Litchfield county, Connecticut,
for ten years; sheriff four years, succeeding the late General Leverett W.
Wessels; tax collector for a time; and held other public offices. During the
Civil War he was appointed assistant provost marshal of the Fourth Dis-
trict, by Governor Buckingham, and was stationed at Bridgeport, Connec-
ticut, under Henry Wessels. His next occupation was that of running a
stage line between Litchfield and East Litchfield. He was the proprietor of
two hotels, and the conduct and management of these consumed so much of
his time that he sold his stage route to George Kinney, one of his employees.
Mr. Botsford also had important banking interests at Falls Village, being a
director of the village bank, and it was one of his greatest pleasures to
assist young men just starting out in life. He lived in Winsted until 1872,
when he removed to Hartford, Connecticut, with the interests of which city
he was identified until his death. He established himself in the hay and
grain business, entering into a partnership with Smith, Northam & Robin-
son, the firm name being changed to read H. A. Botsford & Company, and

zJ^e^Tho^^ S^.c^oii-Jx^ .

j^emy Austin ^otsf orD 191

he sliipped the first car load of dressed beef in New England. November i,
1875, Smith, Northam & Robinson disposed of their interest in the business
to Clarence B. Ingraham, the firm becoming- Botsford & Ingraham, and re-
mained so until 1882, when it was changed to Botsford, Ingraham & Swift,
by the admission to partnership of G. F. Swift, of Chicago, and E. C. Swift,
of Boston. For several years the firm conducted business at the foot of
Windsor street, but about 1900 abandoned the hay and feed department
and removed to Church street because of the superior shipping facilities of
this location.

Mr. Botsford had a number of other business interests. He was a
director in the Charter Oak National Bank and the Connecticut Western
Railroad Company; had been a director in the Loan & Guarantee Company
of Connecticut, at Hartford ; a member of the Board of Trade and of the
Merchants' Exchange. The Young Men's Christian Association had his
cordial support, and he gave liberally of his time as well as of his means.
While he continued to give his political support to the Republican party, he
never held public office in Hartford. For many years he had been a regular
attendant at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church. His fraternal mem-
bership was with St. Paul's Lodge, No. 11, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, of Litchfield, Connecticut. He was a great lover, and a fine judge,
of good horses, cattle, etc., and he always had many valuable horses in his
stables. He had traveled extensively, had been a keen observer, and could
talk very entertainingly of what he had seen. He was an afifectionate and
devoted husband and father, and in spite of the important nature of many of
his business transactions would never allow any business matter to interfere
with any arrangement he had made for the pleasure of his family.

Mr. Botsford married. May 30, 1850, Hannah Holmes, who died Janu-
ary 28, 1901, a daughter of Reuben and (Krains) Holmes, of North

East, Dutchess county, New York. One child blessed this union, Mary
Baldwin, to whom we are greatly indebted for the information she has
furnished, and who resides at 121 Sigourney street.

Following are copies of resolutions adopted at the time of the death of
Mr. Botsford, which show conclusively the high esteem in which he was
held:

At a meeting of the directors of the Charter Oak National Bank, held
Monday, April 15, 1895, the following action was taken regarding the death
of Henry A. Botsford :

We have learned of the death, after a long and painful illness, of Mr. Henry A.
Botsford, one of our associates, and we now place on record the estimation in which we
held his character as an associate, friend and citizen, and his services as a director. Mr.
Botsford was punctual and faithful in the discharge of the duties of his position, candid,
considerate and discriminating in his judgment. His disposition was genial and kindly,
his bearing patient and quiet, his friendship of great value. He was a man to be trusted
implicitly. We greatly regret that the association so highly esteemed is now broken.

At a special meeting of the Retail Marketmen's Association of Hart-
ford, held April 15, 1895, it was voted:

Whereas, in view of the loss we have sustained by the death of Henry A. Botsford,
who in the course of many years of business association we have come to regard as a

192

8)enrp au0tin TSotsforD

kind and sympathetic friend in trouble, a faithful counsellor in business matters and at
all times an honorable Christian gentleman, and of the still greater loss sustained by
those who were nearest and dearest to him, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is but a just tribute to the memory of the departed to say that in
regretting his removal from our midst, we mourn for one who was in every way worthy
of our respect and regard.

Resolved, That we sincerely condole with the family of the deceased, on the dispen-
sation with which it has pleased Divine Providence to afflict them, and commend them
for consolation to Him who orders all things for the best and whose chastisements are
meant in mercy.

Resolved, That a delegation from this association attend the funeral services and
that we close our places of business from two to four o'clock P. M. on Tuesday.

Resolved, That this heartfelt testimonial of our sympathy and sorrow be forwarded
to the family of our departed friend by the secretary of this association.

^^^-^^^;^^:^^^^

Cijarles ^in^

HE DEATH of Charles King, or Deacon Charles King, as he
was familiarly known, on June 9, 1913, caused the loss to
Hartford, Connecticut, of one of its most honored citizens,
a patriarchal figure who for many long years was identified
with all that was best and worthiest in the life of the com-
munity. He was a member of the old King family of Enfield,
Connecticut, his parents being Seth and Marcia (Bugbee)
King, who spent the greater part of their lives in Hartford, where the father
was connected with the Aetna Fire Insurance Company for a period of over
forty years. His wife's family, the Bugbees, were of old Vermont stock,
both families bearing an enviable reputation in the several communities of
their residence. A son of Seth King. William H. King, following in his
father's footsteps, became connected with the Aetna Company, and finally
was elected vice-president thereof.

Charles King was born May 8. 1825, in Chicopee, Massachusetts, but
while still a little child went with his parents to live in Hartford, which
subsequently formed his home during the remainder of his active life. He
attended, for a time the excellent public schools of the city, but at the age
of fifteen years left his studies and turned his attention to the serious busi-
ness of life. He secured a position with Smith, Bourne & Company, now
Smith & Weathington, dealers in saddlery and leather goods, and there
learned the business in all its detail, his aptitude and capacity for hard work
making him highly valued by his employers. He received rapid promotion
at their hands, and in due course of time was admitted by them into part-
nership. He continued as a member of the firm until the year 1870, when he
severed his connection with the concern and went west for a time. He
stayed in Chicago for a few weeks, being in that city during the great fire,
and then returned to Hartford and bought out the business of William
Phillips, a dealer in stoves, furnaces and tinware generally. The store was
on Main street, next door to the old Fourth Congregational Church, and Mr.
King did not alter the location, remaining there for a period of fully twenty
years, during which time the business prospered greatly under his capable
management. His business policy was of a nature to gain and secure the
best type of trade, as he always put the very best quality of work and
material into his jobs, living up to the spirit as well as the letter of his con-
tracts. After twenty years of most deserved prosperity, he retired entirely
from active business, having made a prominent position for himself in mer-
cantile and commercial circles in Hartford. In 1898 he built the handsome
residence in which he died, and which is still the family home, on Windsor
avenue, one of the finest residential districts in the city. Mr. King was a
deeply religious man and one who gave much of his time and attention to the
cause of his church. He was for many years a member of the Windsor
Avenue Congregational Church, and was indeed a charter member, being

CONN-VoI III-13

194 C&acles l^ing

one of the prime movers in the founding- of the church in the year 1870.
Four years later he was elected deacon, an ofifice he held during the rest of
his life. He was always active in the work of the congregation, serving in
the Sunday school as a teacher and generously contributing to the support
of the many benevolences and philanthropies connected with the congrega-
tion. He was not of that type of Christians who are content with a profes-
sion of their faith once a week, but rather strove to translate his beliefs into
the terms of everyday conduct and make them a practical guide in life. In
this task he succeeded well and whether it was in the realm of business or
the more personal relations of life, he was in all things and at all times a
staunch and upright Christian man.

Mr. King was married, June 17, 1850, to Maria C. Olmsted, of Enfield,
Connecticut, a daughter of Norton and Clarissa M. (Allen) Olmsted, of that
place. To Mr. and Mrs. King were born five children, as follows: Emma
M. ; Charles O. ; George Allen, married Harriet Cleveland, who bore him two
children, Dorothy C. and Louis C. ; Sarah Adelaide, became Mrs. Isaac
Bragaw, of Hartford, and the mother of six children, Allan C, Charles K.,
Alice K., Emma K., Mary A. and Louis K. ; Louis Henry, who died at the
age of twenty years.

Though not a native of Hartford, Mr. King was one of the most familiar
and most honored figures in the life of the city. He added to the rugged and
simple strength of his character, the graces and amenities most potent in
winning men's affections, without sacrificing any of the former virtue. It
was through his own unaided efforts that he won his place in the world, yet
despite the ability to mingle successfully with his fellowmen, he found his
chief happiness in his family circle, and the hours he most enjoyed were
spent by his own hearth. He was greatly devoted to nature and the great
outdoors in all its aspects, and was especially fond of flowers.

It seems appropriate to end this sketch with a quotation from the
"Little Minister," the periodical published by the Windsor Avenue Congre-
gational Church, of which Deacon King had been so long a member. On the
occasion of his death, "The Little Minister" says in a special article :

The passing from us of Deacon Charles King, on June 9, after a lingering illness,
has left our entire church family mourning the loss. To realize that he has gone beyond
returning and that we are still to press forward in the life and work of the church he so
much loved and to which he gave his life and thought, brings a sense of great and solemn
loneliness and grief.

He has stood for this church in all its life and activities, having been a charter
member in 1870. He was first elected a deacon in 1874, serving in that ofiSce until the
day of his death.

He was a teacher in the Sunday school for many years. A number of our promi-
nent members were boys in his classes and remember gratefully his teachings and earn-
est interest in their spiritual welfare.

He was not given to the spectacular, but to the quiet, steady service of every day
work and helpfulness.

His was an unswerving loyalty and quiet fervency of spirit, which acted as the
patriarchal head of the spiritual forces of the church life, yet lacked nothing of the busi-
ness interest and ability without which even the church would be stranded, and fail to
reach its best development.

We remember with delight the occasions when his voice has been raised in the dis-
cussion of ways and means, and his words of wisdom and strength carried the lagging

courage over the hard places where lack of faith had made stumblings and hesitations.
He had the courage and power of conviction.

We shall miss his earnest and uplifting prayers in the family gatherings when he
took us with him up to the very throne of God in the petitions which seemed made up
of each individual's longings for the better way and the closer walk with God.

We shall miss his friendship. That sincere interest in the life and action of those
about him, and the fund of quiet humor which made him an interesting and interested
factor in every gathering of family sociability and in every social function of the church.

We shall miss that enthusiasm which kept him young even to the ripe old age of
eighty-eight years, and which inspired us all to renewed effort from year to year to bring
the church up to its fullest capacity for Christian service in this community.

We shall miss his comings and goings, but shall continue to feel his presence among
us ; the spirit of his consecration and love will go on still, blessing and cheering and help-
ing, since he belongs by right of character and life among those of whom it has been
said "They shall not see death." He has lived well, and will continue to live in the lives
of those with whom he came in contact.

To his family we would extend our most heartfelt sympathy and love in this time
of separation and grief. May the God of him who has gone before, continue to bless,
guide and comfort their households of faith and hope.

So be our passing
The task accomplished and the long day done.
The wages taken, and in the heart
Some late lark singing.
Let us be gathered to the quiet west
The sundown splendid and serene.

3ol)n Stanley parsons

'HERE HAS ALWAYS been a tendency to associate together
the names of places and the men who lived there, especially
in olden times when the one was often transferred to the
other, especially in the case of men and families being called
after those places in which they made their homes. This was
doubtless natural in consideration of the long periods of time
that families would remain in one place or district, until they
had, as it were, taken root. It is interesting to note that much the same
tendency, though not carried so far, is to be discovered in a modern com-
munity, in which families have a tendency to long residence, so that in New
England are found families closely identified with certain localities and
thought of in the popular mind as almost a part and parcel of them.

The old Connecticut family of Parsons is an example of this, the repre-
sentatives of which for generations have made their home in the town of
Unionville in that State until to mention the name Parsons anywhere in the
region suggests the place and its environs. Luther T. Parsons was a man of
prominence in Unionville during the early decades of the past century, tak-
ing part in the affairs of the community and making himself much respected
and admired. He was the owner of a three hundred acre farm on the edge
of the village, in the direction of Farmington, where he followed the manly
and wholesome occupation of agriculture, making an ample living, without
ever becoming wealthy. He held many positions of trust in Unionville and
three times represented it in the Connecticut State Legislature. His wife
was a Miss Louisa Bull, a member of another old Connecticut house, and
both of them lived and died on the farm, he at the age of sixty-eight and she
when seventy-two years old. They were the parents of thirteen children,
one of whom was the father of the gentleman whose name heads this article.
They were Martin L., Mary, Prescott, Charles, Edgar, Jvilius, Sarah, An-
toinette, all of whom are deceased, and Cornelia, Julia, Frances, Kate and
Alice.

Martin L. Parsons, the father of John Stanley Parsons, was born on his
father's fine farm of three hundred acres, where his childhood was spent in
healthy labor. Later in life he entered business for himself, and through his
own efforts developed a large contracting and building trade, in connection
with which he also kept a lumber and general merchandise store. His busi-
ness prospered greatly and he erected some of the largest and handsomest
buildings in the vicinity. His wife, who was Miss Georgia A. Thompson
before her marriage, is still living in Unionville.

John Stanley Parsons, the second son of Martin L. and Georgia A.
(Thompson) Parsons, was born August 2, 1863, in LInionville, and there
passed his childhood and early youth in acquiring an education in the local
public schools. He was naturally a bright, earnest lad, and made the best of
his advantages, and would doubtless have succeeded in any career which
opportunity had opened to him. As it was, upon leaving school, his father

3foI)n ^tanlcp parsons 197

employed him in his own flourishing business, the youth quickly mastering
the details and making himself in all respects very useful. He also learned
the trade of carpenter, and some time later went to Mount Vernon, New
York, where there was an excellent position awaiting him. He did not
remain in that city for a great while, however, as his father offered him a
partnership in his business if he would return to Unionville in 1888. This
offer the young man accepted at once, and he thus became connected with
the business in which he was to continue during the remainder of his life.
After the death of the elder man, Mr. Parsons continued to run both the
contracting end of the business and the store, in partnership with a younger
brother, L. A. Parsons. This partnership was finally dissolved by the pur-
chase of his brother's interest by Mr. Parsons, after which he continued the
sole owner until his death. Under the very able management of Mr. Par-
sons both departments of the business thrived greatly, and he erected a great
number of buildings in the rapidly growing region of Unionville and the
adjacent country side. Upon the death of Mr. Parsons, September 5, 1908,
the business passed into the hands of two of his brothers, L. A. Parsons, who
had already been connected with it, and Guy R. Parsons, who have continued
it successfully down to the present time.

John Stanley Parsons married, July, 1882, Alice Latimer, a daughter of
Amon and Lucia Amanda (Case) Latimer, of Simsbury, Connecticut,
where Mr. Latimer was regarded as one of the most substantial and pros-
perous farmers in the neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. Parsons were the parents
of three children, as follows : Edna L. ; Ward C, who married Cloffie M. St.
Cyr, and is now a resident of Unionville; and Robert E., who married J.
Marie Swanston, and resides in Unionville. Mr. Parsons is survived by his
wife and children. During his life he constructed a very handsome dwell-
ing for himself and family situated on Farmington avenue, Unionville, and
this is now occupied by his sons. Ward C. and Robert E. Parsons and fami-
lies, Mrs. Parsons, Sr., having built another handsome residence for her own
use since her husband's death, which she now occupies.

There is, of course, no formula for success, one man accomplishing his
ends by means that seem the diametrical opposite of those which some other
employs. One's strength seems to lie in self-advertisement, to make progress
he must call attention to himself and win the admiration and wonder of
those whom he uses as his instruments, while with another silence appears
as necessary as noise to the first. There are, of course, a thousand vari-
ations to each of these general classes, and we distinguish easily between
him who needs silence or obscurity for his deeds, and him who prefers them
merely as a part of a modest, retiring nature. Perhaps it is to the latter
class that the subject of the present article belonged. A man he was who did
not try to proclaim his own merits, so convinced was he that good wine
needs no bush, that he concerned himself solely with the performance in the
very fullest sense of his engagements. The result fully justified him in his
policy, his success was great and no wide system of advertisement could
have resulted in a more enviable reputation or an achievement more sub-
stantial. Whatever may be thought of the method from the point of view of
business, there is one thing certain, however, that with the ending of such a

198 3[oi)n ^tanleg Par0ong

life the knowledge of its worth must inevitably pass, save in-so-far as it
depends upon the efforts of others for its preservation. Thus the more self-
effacing a man is, the more incumbent is it upon others to put in some per-
manent form his record, if it be a worthy one, that it may not cease to serve
as an example for the guidance of others. Nay there is an added reason why
such a man should have his fame spread, for modesty is an added virtue, and
one which, perhaps above all others, we need to have presented to us, and
which, by a strange paradox, most readily hides even itself. It would be
impossible within the limits of a sketch such as this to tell fully the story of
a life such as Mr. Parsons', or to formulate an adequate estimate of his
character and achievement. But a few of his virtues may be touched upon,
and those perhaps the most characteristic were connected, first, with his
high moral sense and devotion to religious teaching, and second, to his great
love of home and family. He was a member of the Congregational church
and was for many years an ardent worker in its cause. Nor was he content
with the mere formal profession of its tenets, but strove in all ways and at
all times to make it a practical guide for his conduct in the daily relations of
life. Another of Mr. Parsons' strongest instincts was the domestic one, and
it was in the familiar intercourse of his home that he really found his greatest
delight. His mind never wearied of devising ways and means of increasing
the happiness and pleasure of those who made up his household, and in these
innocent delights he joined with a gusto and enthusiasm that were infec-
tious. This was a side of his character which only the more intimate of his
associates were familiar with, but there were none, even the most casual
acquaintances, who did not realize the fundamental trustworthiness of the
nature of this high-minded citizen, good neighbor and true friend.

C^^^^^^i^,^ (;^£^^^^.^^_.

CJjarles SRocfetoell Mtlim

N THE DEATH of Charles Rockwell Belden on March i8,
1902, the city of Hartford, Connecticut, lost one of its most
successful merchants and enterprising business men, and
one who has been closely identified with the growth and
development of that community throughout his life. He was
a member of an old Hartford family, his parents having been
Seth and Abigail Sophia (Steadman) Belden, well known
residents there, his father a merchant and successful dealer in stone.

Mr. Belden was one of three children born to his parents, his birth
occurring on January 24, 1850, in Hartford, which place he made the scene
of his busy and active life. He obtained his education in the local public
schools, which have a reputation for excellence throughout the State, and
after completing his studies, he went into the tailoring business, remaining
for a short time, then entered his father's stone establishment where he
remained about two years. Here he thoroughly mastered the details of mer-
cantile life and prepared himself for his successful career. About the year
1882 he was instrumental in founding the Hartford Coal Company, in con-
junction with a number of capitalists. This concern was highly successful
and developed to a great size. In course of time Mr. Belden was elected to
the double office of president and treasurer of the concern and held them
until his death.

Throughout his successful business career Mr. Belden displayed the
great talents he possessed for organization and management, and became
in course of time one of the really prominent figures in the financial circles
of the city. His enterprises were conducted with that unusual union of con-
servative caution and progressive boldness that marks the true master of
his craft, and which won for him the speedy and spontaneous recognition
of his confreres. Had his death been delayed even to the age usually allotted
to man, his career would doubtless have carried him to great heights.

It was not alone in the business world that Mr. Belden interested him-
self or showed his ability. A man of broad sympathies, he had always been
from youth interested keenly in the conduct of public affairs, and an intelli-
gent observer of the political issues which agitated the country at the time.
He was a firm adherent of the Republican party and of the principles for
which it stood, although he was the possessor of far too independent a mind
to allow himself to be swayed in his judgment by partisan reasons. It was
not long, indeed, before the local organization of his party, with which he
had allied himself, began to perceive his availability for public office, and to
act accordingly. Well known and prominent in the life of the community,
he had a personal popularity, which augured well for his candidacy, and the
only difficulty to be overcome was his own retiring disposition and reluc-
tance to undertake conspicuous public duties. He was, however, at length
prevailed upon to accept his party's nomination to the Court of Common
Council of Hartford, and being elected from the Third Ward he represented

Cftatlcs Hocktuell IBelUtn

that district during the term of 1875 in a manner highly satisfactory to his
constituents. He could not be prevailed upon to accept further distinction
in this line, but he continued to exert an influence upon the local councils of
his party in the capacity of a private citizen.

There were but few departments in the life of his community that Mr.
Belden did not participate actively in. He was a prominent figure in the
social and club life of the place and belonged to a number of the secret fra-
ternities there. He was a member of the St. John's Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons, of Hartford; of the B. H. Webb Council, Royal Arcanum; of the
Hartford Council of the Improved Order of Heptasophs; and the Sicaogg
Tribe, Improved Order of Red Men.

Mr. Belden married. May 28, 1868. Mary E. Sill, a daughter of Micah
and Adelaide (Raphel) Sill, of Hartford. To Mr. and Mrs. Belden were
born three children, as follows: i. Frederick Seth, who succeeded his father
as president and treasurer of the Hartford Coal Company; married Sidney
Hansen, and by her had two children, Kathleen and Ruth. 2. Caroline Sill,
now Mrs. James E. Brooks, of Orange, New Jersey, and the mother of two
children, Charles and Eleanore. 3. Louise, now Mrs. William C. Hill, of
Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Mr. Belden is survived by Mrs. Belden and their
three children, the former being still a resident of the charming Belden home
at No. 905 Asylum avenue, Hartford.

Charles Rockwell Belden was a man of unusual tastes and mental attain-
ments, and one whose personal traits recommended him to a large circle of
devoted friends. To those fundamental virtues of honesty and strength of
purpose upon which all good character must be founded, he added the more
unusual qualities of a cultured mind and tastes along with the truly demo-
cratic outlook upon life which draws men's hearts and insures their good
will. His manner was an open one which made even strangers, and those
of all classes, feel at home in his presence. In spite of his active life, he pos-
sessed the strongest fondness for domestic and home ties, enjoying nothing
so greatly as the intercourse with his own family and household circle by his
"ain fireside." His untimely death, coming as it did in his fifty-third year,
cut short a most useful life and was felt as a real loss, not only by the mem-
bers of his family and his host of faithful friends, but by his fellow towns-
men generally, but few of whom had not benefited, at least, indirectly,
through his wholesome activities.

R. WILLIAM H. SAGE, in whose death on March lo, 1909.
at the advanced age of eighty-four years. New Haven, Con-
necticut, lost one of its most revered and loved citizens, and
the profession of medicine in the State one of its leading
members, was a member of a Massachusetts family of cul-
ture and refinement, his parents being old residents of the
town of Sandisfield there.
Dr. Sage was born in Sandisfield. Massachusetts, March 15. 1825, and
there passed the years of his early childhood. When he came of an age to
attend school, he was sent to the excellent academy at Westfield. Massachu-
setts, where he gained his general education, and prepared himself for his
later technical studies. For even as a mere youth he had decided upon the
profession as his life's work, and with characteristic energy and purpose,
bent every circumstance to that end. Having completed his studies at the
institution in Westfield, he matriculated at the School of Medicine of Yale
University, and after a brilliant college career, graduated with the class of
1849. The following year he moved to Unionville, Connecticut, being
attracted to that place by the fact that a cousin of his was about to give up
his practice there and proposed to the newly fledged physician to take his
place. From the outset Dr. Sage was highly successful, and in a few years
made himself the leading physician in the region of about twenty-five miles
from Unionville, and built up a large and remunerative practice. He gained
also the highest kind of reputation, not only as a physician, but as a man.
For, indeed, his ministrations were by no means exclusively for bodily ail-
ments, rather there was scarcely a misfortune of any kind that he was not
ready to do his best to relieve, and he was as much a family friend and
advisor as doctor of medicine. Not that the other side was neglected, for all
through the countryside he gained a name for skill in every department of
his profession. He was still in Unionville at the time of the Civil War, and
did the finest kind of work in alleviating the sufferings of the families and
relatives left behind during that dreadful period.

A remarkable example of the earnestness and sincerity of Dr. Sage's
nature, and a no less remarkable proof of the hold he had upon his patients'
confidence and affection, occurred while he was still a practitioner in Union-
ville. At this time the attention of Dr. Sage was more and more drawn to
homoeopathy, his interest more and more awakened. He had started in
practice as an unqualified allopath, and that school of medicine he followed
about two years, when he took up homoeopathy, in which he built up his
great practice, yet when he found that, after maturer study, his convictions
pointed to the opposite school, he did not hesitate, but without regard to the
effect it might have upon his practice or reputation, he began to work accord-
ing to his later convictions. His triumph lay in the sequel, for his patients,
almost in a body, made the change with him and continued to place them-
selves in his charge.

202 aailliam 1^. ^age

After more than twenty years spent in Unionville, Dr. Sage, to the
great sorrow of his patients, and, indeed, of the whole community, removed
to New Haven, where he took over the prcatice of Dr. Charles Skifif, of that
city. In New Haven the story of his success in Unionville was but repeated
on a larger scale, and he soon became, without doubt, one of the leading
physicians in the city and one of the most prominent members of the pro-
fession in the New England States. He continued his practice in New
Haven for rather more than a quarter of a century, and during that period
was verv active in general medical affairs as well as in his own practice.
One of the valuable works achieved by him was what he did in the founding
of Grace Homoeopathic Hospital in New Haven, which owed its origin
largely to his energy and generosity. This institution continues to this day
its useful and successful career. Dr. Sage lived for a number of years in a
house on Howe street. New Haven, but in 1899, his age being then seventy-
four years, he retired entirely from active practice, and removed to Wood-
bury. Connecticut, where he passed the remaining years of his life. Dr. Sage
built a country home for himself at Woodbury, Connecticut. A stately
mansion, surrounded by a noble estate bordering on the charming Pom-
peraug river, was the result of his taste and judgment, and here he engaged
in the congenial occupation of farming for his recreation. Even here, in his
leisure and retirement, Dr. Sage showed his thought of his neighbors in a
unique and beautiful manner by converting that part of his property border-
ing upon the river into a park which he threw open to the public.

Dr. Sage married, October i, 1851, Elizabeth Victoria Pinney. of Hart-
ford, Connecticut, a daughter of Almon Erastus and Elizabeth Woodbridge
(Patterson) Pinney, old residents of that place. To them were born three
children, but one of whom survives. They were William Henry, who died
at the age of twenty-two months; Frederick Hollister, who died April 25,
1895, ^t the age of thirty-eight years; and Dr. Henry Pinney Sage, now a
successful practicing ph^^sician with his home at No. 48 Howe street, New
Haven. Mrs. Sage also survives her husband.

To his career as physician Dr. Sage brought a most happy combination
of traits and qualities that could scarcely be improved upon to spell success
in that line of endeavor. A cool and collected mind which allowed no mat-
ter of mere feeling to interfere with it in questions of diagnosis and prescrip-
tion, he nevertheless had an abundant share of sympathy for trouble of all
kinds, which he never withheld when it might serve to alleviate without
harm. Nor was it, as has already been remarked, sympathy for bodily ail-
ments only, but for mental as well, and so great was his personal magnetism
that he drew even the most reserved to confide in him and speak freely of
their griefs, so that in addition to his character of physician, he occupied in
many households almost the position of a father-confessor of olden times.
Added to these an exhaustless energy that feared not to take upon itself any
task, however difficult, so it was in the line of duty, and the reason for his
phenomenal success becomes apparent. The part which Dr. Sage played in
the families where he visited, of doctor, counsellor, friend, was played more
or less, according to the character of the man, by the old type of family phy-
sician generally, and was, indeed, looked upon as belonging to the character.

William ^. ^age 203

This is rather unfortunately changing, and the medical man, as he becomes
more the specialist, becomes also more the cold and impersonal type of
scientist, who gives his advice, collects his fee and departs w^ithout com-
ment. Of course, how far this is carried depends upon the individual, and
the amount of the milk of human kindness he may possess, but the ten-
dency is in that direction, because there is less opportunity for friendship to
ripen and mellow. Certain it is, that more and more rarely do we find men
of the type of Dr. Sage playing his noble role and gaining the respect and
affection of an entire community. As time goes on the physician becomes
more and more closely identified in the public mind with his lancet and his
pill, necessary, but to be avoided. The career of Dr. Sage might well serve
as a model for young men generally, as to how strict integrity, an open
heart and hand, indefatigable effort to one end, and unswerving adherence
to one's ideal, lead at length to great and lasting success, and an envi-
able place in the hearts of one's fellows. There were but few people who
did not feel his death as a personal loss, in any of the three communities in
which he had lived during his active career.

Hiram ^Roberts

EYOND doubt we all find attractive whatever has to do with
the traditions of the land wherein our ancestors have dwelt
and it maybe distinguished themselves, and there is prob-
ably no region so gloomy but that some heart has thrilled at
its recollection, yet it would certainly seem that the people
of New England had a double share of the charming and
stirring in the associations which center about their home
and forebears. For there seems to hang over the conditions which sur-
rounded the makers of our country an atmosphere made up of the most
diverse elements, in which the stern reality of facts and a haunting romance
were strangely mingled; the romance of the wilderness against which they
so courageously took up arms to subdue it and the uncompromising harsh-
ness of that same wilderness in its actual contact with the strangers, and
only surpassed by the uncompromising strength of those strangers. In
one of his delightful essays Chesterton gives the reasons as he conceives
them, why an old-fashioned fairy tale contains more actual truth than a
modern problem story. According to him in the latter case the hero is eccen-
tric if not insane and moves through a sane and even prosaic world, in the
former it is the hero who remains divinely sane as he journeys through a
creation wild and fantastic, a true picture, he tells us of man. Certainly it
must have appeared their own state to the practical, energetic Englishman
placed, as they were, in that untamed land surrounded on all sides by un-
solved mysteries and a strange and semi-hostile savage race. But like the
hero in the fairy tale, they remained sane and courageous and in course of
time subdued the wilderness and brought it to its present state. It is little
wonder, therefore, that the story contains a fascination for us or that the
men and women bred under such conditions should have presented unusually
strong qualities in their make-up. These were to have been expected. It is
not quite so obvious at first sight, however, why they should have developed
those graces for which we love them, the deep courtesy, the open-hearted
hospitality, the cosmopolitan culture which so greatly distinguished them.
Certain it is that they did develop them and that we might look far before
we should find better examples of these fine things than among our New
England ancestry. Of such stock, and himself a worthy representative of
it, was the distinguished gentleman whose name heads this brief sketch and
whose death in Bloomfield, Connecticut, September 6, 1845, deprived that
region of one of its leading citizens.

Hiram Roberts was born January 19, 1797, in Wintonbury, which is
now the town of Bloomfield, which remained his home for practically his
entire life. He was a scion of a well known and well connected Connecticut
family, whose coat-of-arms is as follows: Arms — Azure, on a chevron
argent, three mullets, sable. Crest — An eagle, displayed, argent, gorged
with a chaplet vert. The founder of the family in this country was one
Lemuel Roberts, who came to the colonies from England in or before the

Snbrrts

I^iram mofierts 205

year 1688 and settled in Connecticut. A descendant of this first T.emuel
Roberts, and who bore the identical name, was the father of Hiram Roberts,
of this sketch. The second Lemuel Roberts was a large landowner whose
estate was in the neighborhood of Bloomfield, in which town he also oper-
ated a hotel which stood opposite what is now known as Roberts Park,
named in honor of the family. This hotel was extremely successful and
was run by him until his death. Lemuel Roberts was married to Roxy
Gillett and it was of this union that Hiram Roberts was born.

The early days of Hiram Roberts were spent in his native town in
attendance upon the local schools. It was a period but little following the
Revolution, and the country and its institutions were still in a formative
state, conditions of life more or less unsettled and school opportunities
naturally poor. Yet of such opportunities as existed Mr. Roberts took the
utmost advantage, and this supplemented by large reading on his own
account, gave him a most liberal education, especially for that day and gen-
eration. Upon completing his schooling, like all wise men he never com-
pleted his education, but was always a student, but upon completing his
schooling Mr. Roberts engaged in business for himself, a sort of commercial
trading in which he bought and sold goods of various descriptions in various
parts of the country, travelling about by stage coach from place to place,
his objective being those places where the particular commodity he was
carrying would bring the largest price, just as a trading ship would cruise
from place to place with varying cargoes. After some time spent in this
manner, he established himself in commercial business at Bloomfield, Con-
necticut, and was very successful. He became, indeed, one of the leading
men of business in the town, and as his fortune grew so did his reputation
likewise as one whose integrity was beyond question.

But it was not merely in his business activities that Mr. Roberts was
successful or in which he gained an enviable reputation among his fellow
townsmen. He early entered the politics of his town and State and it was
not long before his confreres induced him to accept nominations for the
various town offices. Despite a naturally retiring disposition, Mr. Roberts
was not one to draw back from what he regarded as his public duties, and,
as his nominations were quite regularly followed by his election, he spent
much of his time in the public service, to that service's great advantage. He
was at length elected to the State Legislature and for a number of years
served in that body, first as Assemblyman and later as State Senator. The
side of reform and improvement could always count on his friendship and
active aid, and his consistent regard for the best interests of the community
without reference to party lines and distinctions won the praise and respect
of all men. Among the causes to which he was pledged, being, indeed,
among the earliest of their friends, were those of temperance and the anti-
slavery movement that later developed such force in his home region.

Mr. Roberts married, November 24, 1825, Polly Bidwell, a daughter of
Jonathan and Ann (Brown) Bidwell, old residents of Bloomfield. Mrs.
Roberts died February 5, 1852. To them were horn six children, as follows:
Hiram, died January 15, 1831 ; Sarah Ann, died July 29, 1845; Mary Jane,
died November 27, 1855; George Bidwell, died September 22, 1834; Emily

2o6 l^itam Hobetts

and Caroline L., both residents of Hartford. The second daughter, Mary
Jane, was married to George Mills, of Bloomfield, and to them was born one
son, Hiram Roberts Mills, who died May 9, 1906. The third daughter,
Emily, was married to Lewis T. Fenn, of Hartford, and they are the parents
of two children, John, who married Edna Howell, of Port Jervis, New York,
who bore him two children, Phillip Curtis and Edward Howell, and Mary
Roberts, who married Willard D. Brown, of Lexington, Massachusetts, and
bore him one child, Sarah Emily.

The affection with which his fellow citizens regarded Mr. Roberts was
of that permanent and substantial kind that is based on admiration and
respect. His virtues were a sterling type, the outcome of an essential sim-
plicity of character which made impossible alike means and end other than
the obvious, straightforward one. His charity for his fellows was at once
broad and deep and of that most effective kind that understands the spiritual
as well as the bodily needs, and ministers to them though they may never be
expressed. He was especially interested in the ambitions of the young men
that he came in contact with and there were many such that he aided to
realization. The following brief picture was drawn of him by the pen of his
friend and associate, the Hon. Francis Gillett, of Hartford, who prepared an
obituary of him shortly after his death. We quote in part:

He was, says Mr. Gillett, one of the most prominent men of Bloomfield and in con-
sequence of his sound judgments and impartial decisions, he was universally consulted
by his townsmen on matters both public and private, being by all highly esteemed and
respected. He represented his district in the State Senate, filled many important town
offices, and, but for his modesty and retiring disposition, would doubtless have taken
high position in the political world, for which he was well qualified. * * * In the
various relations which Mr. Roberts sustained in life he was faithful and exemplary ; in
his business transactions he was honest and upright, as a neighbor he was kind and
obliging, as a magistrate he was intelligent and just — much consulted for information
and advice, as a citizen he was virtuous and patriotic — such was the confidence of his
fellow citizens in his sound judgment and integrity that he was often honored with
public trusts and was elected to a seat in each branch of the State Legislature. In the
varied intercourse of life he was remarkable for equanimity and self-possession and of
few men could be said more truthfully than of him "He walked life's thorny way with
feelings calm and even." Amid storms of public excitement he was generally cool and
unruffled, and while he was firm in his own opinions, he was careful to treat his oppo-
nents with respectful kindness and courtesy. In his temper there was nothing like
asperity, no harshness, no bitterness — on the contrary, his whole character was softened
and adorned by mildness and benignity.

Henrp l?atntI)rop Hurlburt

ENRY WINTHROP HURLBURT, whose untimely death
on Tune 7, 1884, robbed the city of one of its public-spirited
citizens and those who knew him personally of a devoted
friend, was a member of an old and most honorable Con-
necticut family, the founder of which was one Thomas Hurl-
but, who with ten companions formed the party of

Gardiner, a royal engineer, and with him crossed the Atlan-
tic and settled in Connecticut, where they founded the town of Saybrook.
Thomas Hurlbut did not remain a resident of Saybrook, however, but later
removed to Wethersfield, where he made his permanent home, many of his
descendants being found to-day in and about Hartford. Various members
of the family have departed from the original manner of spelling their
patronymic, "Hurlbut," as it is given here, varying it to Hurlburt and Hurl-
bert.

Mr. Hurlburt's father was Joseph O. Hurlburt, who was a resident of
East Hartford for many years. He was a man of great force of character
and an educator of distinction. He eventually removed to Wethersfield,
Connecticut, where he took charge of the Wethersfield High School for a
long period of years, exercising a great influence for good not only upon the
young people whose education was intrusted to his care, but upon his fellow
townsfolk generally, so that he became a recognized leader in the public
affairs of the region, where he was much beloved and honored. His wife
was Amelia Hills, of East Hartford, before marriage.

Henry Winthrop Hurlburt was born February 13, 1851, in East Hart-
ford, and there passed his youth, attending the Hartford public schools for
his education. Upon completing his course of studies in these institutions,
he secured emplo3^ment with a firm of jewelers, D. H. Buell & Company, as
it was then called, but now known as the Hansel & Sloan Company. For
many years the company has been the leading dealers in jewelry in the city
of Hartford, and Mr. Hurlburt was well pleased with his employers and the
character of the work assigned to him. That the satisfaction was recipro-
cated is obvious from the fact that from that time until his death, Mr. Hurl-
burt remained in the same employment, enjoying in the meantime a series
of promotions. Throughout his brief career he displayed marked business
ability and had not death cut short his career at the early age of thirty-three
years, there is no doubt he would have highly distinguished himself in the
mercantile world and become a dominant influence in the business affairs of
the city.

Besides his activity in the business he had chosen, Mr. Hurlburt partici-
pated in the general life of the city in which he had made his home. He was
keenly interested in politics, and though he did not ally himself actively with
any of the local organizations he was a strong believer in the principles of
and a staunch supporter of the Republican party. He was a Congregational-
ist in religion and for many j^ears was faithful in attendance at divine service
in the Pearl Street Congregational Church of Hartford, and so continued

2o8 i^encp mintbtop i^urltiutt

until his death, since which event, however, his family have become identi-
fied with the handsome new church recently erected on Farmington avenue,
at a point not far from their residence.

On October 28, 1873, Mr. Hurlburt was united in marriage with Mary
L. Goodwin, of Hartford, a daughter of Henry A. and Louisa (Hubbard)
Goodwin, long residents of that city. The Goodwin family has been promi-
nent in the affairs of New England since early Colonial days, and Mrs. Hurl-
burt is related to many of the distinguished figures in the history of that
region. The founder of the line in this country was Ozias Goodwin, one
of those who, with Thomas Hooker, founded Hartford. Mrs. Hurlburt's
descent also leads directly back to Governor Haynes, the first to hold that
title and office in Connecticut. Her father, Henry A. Goodwin, was a very
able business man and was the founder of the important drug establishment
now bearing the name of the Goodwin Drug Company and occupying the
busiest corner in the city of Hartford. Business talent seems, indeed, to run
in the family, and it is a brother of Mrs. Hurlburt, Henry H. Goodwin, that
is the partner in the great firm of Tucker & Goodwin, the largest wholesale
dealers in flour in that part of New England. To Mr. and Mrs. Hurlburt
were born four daughters, two of whom, with their mother, survive their
father. They were as follows: Anna Louise, now Mrs. W. F. Hale, of Hart-
ford ; Nellie May, now Mrs. Clarence Whitney, of Hartford ; Mabel Goodwin
and Florence Amelia, both deceased.

It was during an epidemic of diphtheria in Hartford that Mr. Hurlburt
was carried off by that dread disease, and to make more tragic what was, in
itself sad enough, his youngest daughter also died of the same malady in
the same week. He had scarcely reached the prime of life when his career,
which promised so brilliantly for the future, was thus cut off, depriving the
community of one who could scarcely have failed to make himself a leader
in any department of activity he might have chosen to engage in. He was a
man of the most sterling virtues, respected at once by high and low, rich and
poor, since there was no difference in his treatment of men because of any
class distinctions. He was easy of access to all and those who were for-
tunate enough to be counted among his friends found him, not merely faith-
fulness itself, but the most attractive of companions. He was a favorite
among men, both for these qualities of intrinsic worth and because of the
community of interests that existed between him and his fellows. His
tastes and pleasures were all of the wholesome manly kind that men in gen-
eral understand and sympathize in, healthy out-of-doors sports, such as
boating and competitive games, were his recreation, and in all of them he
was able to maintain his ability. He was a skillful yachtman, and spent
much of his spare time on the water. Nor was it alone the things of the body
that Mr. Hurlburt cultivated. His tastes were discriminating and cultured
and he was an authority on more than one branch of art work. He was espe-
cially skillful in the question of rare and old china and other wares, and this
fondness he was enabled to indulge on a large scale in collecting for his firm,
in connection with the business. His death caused a gloom to settle upon all
who associated with him, even casually, and was the cause of many testi-
monials of the respect and affection in which he was held by the community
at large.

^* Henrp (J^oobricf)

N a large and high sense of the phrase the late P. Henry Good-
rich was one of the most distinguished citizens of Glaston-
bury. Connecticut, one of those who was most closely identi-
fied with the wonderful development of that town's industrial
importance, and one in whose death on September 20, 1900,
it sufifered a loss that it will be difficult indeed to forget. As
such his record deserves in a double sense that detailed
preservation which alone the printed word can secure for it, not only as the
meed of virtuous achievement, but as a benefit to posterity which cannot fail
to be influenced by the accounts of worth and merit, and thus be brought into
direct contact with a cheering and inspiring influence which has otherwise
ceased to exist. For Mr. Goodrich was a man whose career exemplifies the
old faith in the final victory of virtuous and patient efifort in the race of life,
and which may well stand as a type of good citizenship and staunch, honor-
able manhood.

P. Henry Goodrich was born May 27. 1840, in Portland, Connecticut,
and there passed the years of his childhood, attending the local public
schools, where he gained the rudimentary portion of his education. He was
later a student for one term in the school conducted by a Mr. Quinby, well
known as a teacher in that day and place, in the old church building at Port-
land. Still later he was sent away from home to the Chase School at Mid-
dletown, where he completed his studies. He was a youth of a very enter-
prising nature and in 1858, when but eighteen years of age, he, like so many
young men of that day, went out into the great West to seek his fortime.
He settled in Champaign, Illinois, where he purchased a fine farm, although
undeveloped, and there engaged in farming and stock raising for about two
years. During the period of terrible stress and uncertainty preceding the
Civil War, the feelings of Mr. Goodrich, as well as his beliefs, were all
enlisted in the cause of the threatened Union, so that thereafter he always
counted it a privilege to have cast his first vote for the great President, who
through the crises held so firmly the helm of the ship of state. Upon the
actual outbreak of hostilities, he at once determined to give his services and
if need be his life for the cause he so much loved, but desiring to serve among
the men of his native region, he returned at once to Connecticut in order to
enlist. The opportunity came with the formation of the Twentieth Regi-
ment of Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. He, with other recruits, joined
Company D of this force as a private, and was ordered South at once, where
he was soon in the midst of active service. Indeed, the only delay was that
at Arlington, \''irginia, where the regiment was drilled. The first great
engagement in which the Twentieth Connecticut took part was the battle of
Chancellorsville, in which Company D held an exposed position with great
gallantry, three orderlies who were dispatched with orders for them to retire
being shot before they could reach them. Battle, skirmish, and hard cam-

CONN_Vol IU-14

2IO p. i^entp (SooDticij

paigning followed each other without intermission, the first winter being
spent in Virginia, and fortune bringing them around at length to the terrible
field of Gettysburg. The Twentieth Connecticut formed a part of the
Twelfth Army Corps under command of General Slocum, which reached
the field on the afternoon of the first day, and thereafter was in the thick of
the conflict. In the spring of 1864 he was forced to leave his regiment
for a time, being laid up as an invalid in the military hospital at Atlanta.
He recovered, however, and in the autumn of the same year took part
in the great march of Sherman to the sea. It was on March 19, 1865,
that he was finally disabled from taking further part in the war, a bullet
passing through his foot and giving him a wound that for a long period
proved extremely troublesome. He was in the field hospital for a time and
was from there removed to the hospital at Newbern, North Carolina, and
then to the transport vessel "Northern Light." It was while on board the
"Northern Light" off Newbern that the joyful news reached him and his
companions of the surrender of General Lee. Upon reaching New York
he was honorably discharged from the service in Tune, 1865, having reached
the rank of orderl}^ sergeant from that of private.

He had sold his farm in Champaign county, Illinois, before enlisting
for the war, but now that peace had once more been restored, he turned
his thoughts westward again, where he hoped to resume his business with
his brother, so rudel)' interrupted four years before. He was unable to carry
out his intention, however, for some time, as his foot had been so badly
wounded that it was impossible for him to get about on it and he was obliged
to play the part of invalid. It was not until 1867 that he found it possible to
return to Illinois, and he then did not stay a great while, for in 1869 he came
once more to Connecticut, this time settling in Glastonbury, where he
entered the employ of an uncle, Frederick Welles, who was engaged in the
tobacco business on a large scale in that town. In time Mr. Welles retired
from active management, when Mr. Goodrich, in partnership with Charles
F. Tag and son, of New York, continued it. The business consisted in the
buying up, packing and wholesale marketing of the tobacco grown in the
Glastonbury neighborhood, and was very profitable. Later the New York
parties withdrew and left Mr. Goodrich to carry it on alone, which he did
most successfully until 1893, when other interests of more importance
induced him to lease it and withdraw from participation.

It was during this time that Mr. Goodrich became connected with
those large industries which have occupied so important a place in the
Glastonbury business world, and the origin and development of which were
so largely due to his genius for management and indefatigable industry.
The first of these was the Eagle Sterling Company, which after a period in
Glastonbury, finally removed to another locality. In 1894 Mr. Goodrich
with a number of associates organized the Riverside Paper Manufacturing
Company of Glastonbury, which, upon the removal of the Eagle Sterling
Company, occupied the latter's plant. He was chosen president and treas-
urer and held these offices until the day of his death, developing the industry
from its small beginnings to the proportions which it later assumed. The
specialty of this concern was the manufacture of heavy paper boards for use

p, ^encp ^ooDricft 211

in binding, trunk making and similar work, and in which it did a very large
business. Mr. Goodrich was also president of the Glastonbury Steam Boat
Wharf Company, which under his capable direction was exceedingly suc-
cessful. Besides these enterprises at home in the East, Mr. Goodrich re-
tained some interests in the West, and was one of those who established
the Goodrich Brothers Banking Company of Fairbury, Nebraska, which was
highly successful in its financial operations and of which he was for many
years vice-president and a director.

Thus prominently engaged in the industrial and financial realms, Mr.
Goodrich, nevertheless, did not lose his interest in other departments of life,
nor his sympathy with other aims and traditions. It is a natural temptation,
alas, too often yielded to by busy men of affairs, to forget in their absorbing
occupation the other aspects of life and to underrate such men as are en-
gaged in their pursuit, but into this error Mr. Goodrich did not fall. He
entered freely into local politics, identified himself with the Republican party
and with its organization in his district, and as a young man, while living in
Portland, was elected a justice of the peace. After coming to live in Glas-
tonbury, he continued his political activities and was soon elected first select-
man. He served his fellow citizens in this position four years faithfully and
well, and a like term as auditor of the town. He became very well known
and popular as time went on, and in 1884 and again in 1897 was elected to
represent the town in the State Legislature. He made his presence felt in
that body and was chosen a member of the military committee during both
his terms. He was extremely fond of social intercourse with his fellows and
naturally felt his old comrades of war times the most congenial possible
companions. He gratified this taste by means of membership in Tyler Post,
No. 50, Grand Army of the Republic, the headquarters being at Hartford.
In religion Mr. Goodrich was affiliated with the Congregational church, he
and his family being members of the church of that denomination in Glas-
tonbury. Just prior to his death he had been chosen a member of the invest-
ment committee of this church, after having served as president of the cor-
poration for several years. He was also a member of the St. James' Ceme-
tery Association of Glastonbury.

Mr. Goodrich was united in marriage, October 14, 1869, to Helen E.
Wells, a daughter of Henry and Mary A. (Freeman) Wells, of Portland,
Connecticut. Mrs. Goodrich survives her husband. Of this union were
born eight children, as follows: Arthur B., now president, managing the
great business of the Riverside Paper Manufacturing Company, left by his
father; Leslie W., a graduate of Cornell and Yale universities, and now a
resident of Hartford; Sarah M., a graduate of the Glastonbury Academy;
Joseph E., a graduate of Williston Seminary and Cornell University, and
now doing concrete contracting in Hartford; Ralph S. ; Bertha H. ; Henry
C, deceased; Ethel J.

Among the many self-made men of Glastonbury and that region of
Connecticut, none deserve higher esteem than P. Henry Goodrich. Few,
indeed, have attained to a larger measure of material success, and none
with a closer adherence to true ideals of life. With but few opportunities,

212 1^. ptmv (S)00Dtic5

with many obstacles, he began life courageously, without a complaint
against fate or fortune, and by sheer force of will, coupled with integrity of
purpose and a naturally clever head, he won an exceptional success and the
respect and admiration of the entire community. Such men are not to be
found every day, but when they are their lustre travels far.

(BtoxQt ifKla^toell

^HERE are not many families that have sustained so high a
character through so great a term of years and in so many
different climes as have the Maxwells, originally of the pur-
est Scotch blood, but now distributed throughout the civil-
ized, and, to some extent, even in the uncivilized, quarters
of the globe. But whether in their native Scotland, where
they were known in Dumfriesshire, Renfrewshire, Lannark-
shire and many other parts before the year 1200; whether in Ulster, where
a branch of the house settled, or whether in New England, where that
branch of the family with which we are especially concerned has made its
home, the men of that name have acquitted themselves with distinction and
won positions of prominence in the various homes they have chosen.

Of the well-known New England branch, the founder in this country
was Hugh Maxwell, who came from County Tyrone, Ireland, and settled in
Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1733, removing later to the little settlement of
Heath in the same colony. His son Hugh, who like himself had been born
in Ireland, was the youngest of six children and was brought to the new
home in the wilderness when but six weeks of age. He grew up amid the
wild surroundings of the colonies and ultimately took a prominent part in
the affairs of the region, distinguishing himself as an Indian fighter in what
are described as "five fatiguing and dangerous campaigns" under the com-
mand of General Johnson. He was one of the bold spirits who would rather
face death than the trespass of the foreign government on what he conceived
to be his rights, and had much to do with the precipitation of hostilities
leading up to the Revolution. He had a hand in the famous "Boston Tea
Party," helped to plan and erect the fortifications behind which the Ameri-
cans fought at Bunker Hill, and was himself slightly wounded in that en-
gagement. He entered the war with the rank of captain and left it a colonel
after a long term of arduous service, and was one of the thirteen officers
who originally formed the Massachusetts section of the Society of the Cin-
cinnati. His wife was, before her marriage, Bridget Monroe, of Lexington,
Massachusetts, and the youngest of their seven children was the father of
the distinguished citizen and manufacturer of Connecticut who forms the
subject of this sketch. This seventh child was Sylvester Maxwell, a well-
known lawyer of Heath, Massachusetts, during the early years of this coun-
try's history as an independent nation. He was married to Tirzah Taylor,
of Buckland, by whom he was the father of eight children.

George Maxwell, the fifth child of Sylvester and Tirzah (Taylor) Max-
well, was born July 30, 1817, in the town of Charlemont, Massachusetts.
He was educated in the public schools of his native town, and remained in
his father's house until he had reached the age of seventeen years. He then
left to attend the Fellenberg Academy at Greenfield, Massachusetts, where
he made his home and later secured a clerical position in a store there. It
was in 1843 that Mr. Maxwell finally moved to Rockville, Connecticut,

214 (George Q^aitoell

where from that day until his death he made his home and where he engaged
in those great industrial enterprises with which his name is inseparably asso-
ciated. For a time after coming to the town he was connected with Stanley
White in a mercantile business situated at the southwest corner of Main
and Union streets, but in the late forties entered into those relations so bene-
ficial to both, with the New England Company, manufacturers of woolen
goods. From this time really dates his rise into prominence in the industrial
world in which he was soon a leader and one of the dominant factors in that
part of the State. As time went on not only industrial companies, but other
concerns, notably those connected with the public utilities of the town, came
under his influence and in the direction of all he displayed the same capacity
and broad-minded consideration of the interests of other that distinguished
him through life. He was president of the New England Company from
the time of its reorganization, president and treasurer of the Hockanum
Manufacturing Company, president and treasurer of the Springville Manu-
facturing Company, president of the Rockville National Bank, the Rockville
Gas Company, of the Water and Aqueduct Company, the Rockville Railway
Company, and a director in many other corporations and companies among
which should be noted the Society for Savings of Hartford, the Hartford
Trust Company and the National Fire Insurance Company. The mere enu-
meration of these great interests in which he held a directing influence is an
indication of the important position he occupied in the development of the
industries and business of the region, but it can give no adequate knowl-
edge of the immense work which he actually did in this direction, or the pub-
lic spirit he showed in all his policies.

Nor was his activity confined to the realm of business, however great
the demands made upon his time and energies thereby, for he did not hesi-
tate to participate in many other departments of the community's life. For
an example, he took the keenest interest in the question of politics, he was a
lifelong member of the Republican party, and served his fellow citizens in a
number of ofiicial capacities, among them as member of the State General
Assembly in 1871 and as State Senator in 1S72. Mr. Maxwell was one of
those men to whom religious belief and experience is a very real matter and
forms an important factor in life. For many years he was a deacon in the
Second Congregational Church of Rockville and later held the same office
in the Union Congregational Church of Rockville. He had the cause of
religion and the church ever in mind and did a great deal of efifective work
for its advancement. In this connection also it should be mentioned that he
was a trustee of the Hartford Theological Seminary. Unlike many men
whose lives have been devoted to the founding and development of great
business enterprises, he appreciated and sympathized with other aims in life
and even with the failure of others less capable of fighting the battle of life
than himself. It was for this reason that he was ever striving to relieve mis-
fortune in all forms wherever he saw it, and was a liberal supporter of many
worthy charities and benevolences. These he aided as cures for conditions
already existing, but he was still more interested in preventive measures,
and believing that education was the great fosterer of those qualities which
make for successful effort and normal life, he was especially active in his

©eorge Qiaitoell 215

endeavor to spread knowledge and enlightenment through the medium of
the public schools and elsewhere. He was the founder of the Rockville Pub-
lic Reading Room, and of the Rockville Public Library. It was therefore
doubly appropriate that after his death his wife and children should have
presented Rockville with a splendid library building as a memorial to him.

George Maxwell was united in marriage, November 3, 1846, with
Harriet Kellogg, a native of Rockville, and a daughter of George Kellogg,
a prominent and highly respected citizen of that place. To them were
born nine children of whom four are now living, as follows: Francis T., J.
Alice, William and Robert. The sons have inherited their father's great
business talents as well as his other qualifications for good citizenship, and
in their various relations to the life of their community figure among the
prominent men in the State of Connecticut.

The death of George Maxwell, which occurred April 2, i8gi, removed
one of the most striking figures from a society where strong characters and
brilliant personalities were the rule rather than the exception. He possessed
in a high degree all those personal qualities which mark the best types of his
race; a strong moral sense, unimpeachable honesty and integrity of purpose,
courage and unlimited capacity for hard work. If, as Carlyle remarks,
"genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains," then surely Mr. Maxwell
might make a strong plea to be regarded as a genius of high degree. To
these sterner virtues he added a genial candor of temperament, the humor
that seems an inseparable accompaniment to a due sense of proportion, and
a gentleness towards weakness that made men who felt their cause to be
just instinctively turn to him, as to a friend, for support and encourage-
ment. His was a character that, aside from his great material achievements,
could not fail to afifect powerfully any environment in which it might have
been placed and which, in his death, left a gap which even years have failed
entirely to fill.

[TRONG character and the ability to lead others is, doubtless,
like other qualities, an inheritable trait so that we need feel
no surprise when we see the sons of capable fathers growing
up themselves resolute and commanding figures. Yet, when
we pause to think of the incalculably complex ancestries of
each and all of us, of the myriad diverse elements that enter
a family with every marriage so that generation after gen-
eration our relationships multiply in some staggering geometric progres-
sion, it would appear that no character could remain fixed beyond a couple
of generations at the most and that family peculiarities must forever flux
and flow, forever shift and change with almost the speed of, and a far
greater variety than, any kaleidoscope. Truly we are in a very grave sense
at the mercy of our ancestors and our one comfort should be that out of any
thousand such, nine hundred and ninety-nine will prove to be the proverbial
"good men and true." But however this may be, however appearances seem
against it, the fact remains that in many families we see generation after
generation displaying the same virile energy, the same capacity for leader-
ship that marked the great man their progenitor in a remote past. It would
be difificult, perhaps, to find a better illustration of this fact than in the his-
tory of the distinguished Hooker family, of Hartford, Connecticut, which,
from the time of that man of iron strength, Thomas Hooker, the founder of
Hartford, has still continued to produce men who have played brilliant and
prominent parts in the afi^airs of the community upon which they have so
peculiar a claim. One of the latest of these was the distinguished gentleman
whose name heads this brief notice, Edward Williams Hooker, ex-Mayor,
State Senator, and one of the most influential men in Connecticut's capital
city, whose death there on the second day of September, 191 5, at the untimely
age of less than fifty years, was felt as a public loss.

Edward Williams Hooker was born October 19, 1865, in the city of Hart-
ford. He traced his descent back to one John Hooker, who dwelt in Devon-
shire, England, in the latter part of the fifteenth or the early years of the
sixteenth century, two generations prior to the emigration from that coun-
try to America. The immigrant ancestor in this country, the Rev. Thomas
Hooker, is too well known to need discussion here, founder of the colony of
Connecticut and father of its constitution, his story is a part of American
history. Besides this great figure, Mr. Hooker numbered among his ances-
tors such men as the Rev. Samuel Hooker, Hon. John Hooker and Bryan
Hooker who lived from 1763 to 1826 and was one of those who introduced
the manufacture of wool in Connecticut. His father, Bryan Edward Hooker,
son of the above Bryan Hooker, was also a conspicuous figure in the com-
munity, being himself a prominent woolen manufacturer and representing
his district in the State Legislature. Edward Williams Hooker passed the
years of his childhood and early youth in the house of his father in Hart-
ford, attending there the excellent public schools and finally graduating

^'~^cuS)\^:9^itny£mf,

dBDtoatD mUUams looker 217

from the high school with the class of 1885. He was just twenty years of
age at this time and he at once secured a position in the Broad Brook Woolen
Manufacturing- Company with which his father was connected in the capac-
ity of treasurer and general manager for above forty years. Here he had
his first taste of business life and applying himself with commendable indus-
try to his task, became thoroughly conversant with all the details of the
woolen industry and learned to card, sort, spin, weave and design with his
own hand as well as to superintend the work of others in all the various
operations in the great mills. As it happened, however, he was not destined
to engage in the business for any great length of time for in 1895 the con-
cern passed out of the hands of his father and his partners, being purchased
by its present owners, Messrs. Ogden and Brook. The ten years spent by
him in the manner described had made a capable business man of Mr.
Hooker, whose ability was generally recognized and he had no difficulty in
securing an excellent place with the Perkins Electric Switch Manufacturing
Company as its secretary and treasurer. He remained four years with this
concern and then resigned the oflnce to engage in business on his own
account. In partnership with Hiram C. Nickerson, of New York City, he
founded a brokerage firm under the style of Hooker & Nickerson, with
offices in the Catlin Building on the corner of Main and Asylum streets, the
site now occupied by the Hartford National Bank. This association was
severed and later Mr. Hooker engaged in the insurance business in partner-
ship with William R. Penrose as Hooker & Penrose, securing the Hartford
agency for the New York Underwriters, the Commercial Union and the
Palatine Insurance companies, as well as of some less important concerns.
The ofiices of Hooker & Penrose are in the Connecticut Mutual Building,
Mr. Hooker continuing actively as its head until his death.

Although his business enterprises were all of them eminently success-
ful and he, himself, a prominent figure in the business world, it is not in that
connection that Mr. Hooker was best known in Hartford, but rather as a
public official and man of affairs. All during his youth he had been keenly
interested in political questions, and he was a strong adherent to the prin-
ciples and policies of the Republican party. As time went on and he grew
to be more and more a familiar figure in the city, and his popularity became
wider, his party began to note in him the material for a strong candidate and
representations were made to him on their part. For some time, however,
Mr. Hooker turned a deaf ear to these proposals, he was busy establishing
the firm of Hooker & Penrose on the firmest kind of footing and did not
feel that he should suspend that operation until it was complete. At length,
however, came a time when he felt justified in relaxing somewhat his atten-
tion to business and turning it to something even more interesting to him,
the conduct of public afifairs. It was two years before his fortieth birthday
that he was unanimously nominated by the Republican caucus as a repre-
sentative to the Connecticut General Assembly and at the following election
he was chosen to that responsible office by a satisfactory majority. For two
years he did eflfective work for the community in that body and gained
an enviable reputation, not only with the general public, but with his col-
leagues. He was appointed to the chairmanship of the committee on banks

2i8 (gptoatp milUamg ^oobet

and was extremely active in the deliberations of all kinds, leaving a very-
definite impress of his character and personality on the Assembly. In the
spring of the year 1908 Mr. Hooker's name was proposed as candidate for
mayor of Hartford and met with immediate favor. That the descendant of
Thomas Hooker should occupy the place of chief executive in the city he
had founded appealed to men's idea of the appropriate and, indeed, was not
without a similar appeal to the mind of Mr. Hooker himself. Once the mat-
ter was arranged and he had thoroughly made up his mind to accept the
offer, Mr. Hooker threw himself into the campaign heart and soul and won
with very satisfactory majorities both in the primaries and the election, the
latter against so formidable an opponent as ex-Mayor Ignatius A. Sullivan.
In spite of his victory, however, certain political forces which he had very
consciously and deliberately antagonized began now to work against his
further career and the contest between them developed so far as to very
nearly become an open rupture. The local organization of his party in Hart-
ford was a powerful one and, as is common in such cases, was much under
the influence of certain interests which should always remain outside of
politics. To receive directions from these influences was something that Mr.
Hooker, who was extremely independent in thought and action, could not
and would not brook and this disposition to disregard the mandates of the
powers that be never displayed itself more conspicuously than during the time
he served in the mayoral capacity. He was very active in the community's
affairs and it was due to his efforts that a number of reforms were instituted
very much in its interest. All these things were watched by his opponents
with a disapproving eye and when the time came for the next mayoral elec-
tion, the word had gone forth among the "machine's" henchmen that Hooker
should be defeated. The story of the following campaign with these forces
arrayed against him is of great interest and certainly great credit to Mayor
Hooker. He had won during his term of ofifice the respect and even the
affection of the community and this, with its usual perspicacity, the "ma-
chine" did not dare openly to oppose. He received, therefore, a unanimous
nomination in the party primaries, but at election there was enough dis-
affection from the ticket to throw the choice to his Democratic rival. Judge
Edward L. Smith. Having accomplished this rather doubtful victory
against him, the sinister powers were obliged to withdraw temporarily from
action in the face of an awakened popular suspicion regarding the causes of
Mr. Hooker's defeat and the result was that in the autumn of the same year
— 1910 — he was nominated and elected to the State Senate from the Second
District. It is a remarkable tribute to his ability and popularity that two
years later he was again elected Senator, although the elections went almost
unbrokenly Democratic that year. The Democrats themselves explained the
matter by the remark that Mr. Hooker was more essentially democratic than
many who bore the party name, and doubtless this had much to do with it,
but though it won for him on that occasion, it was this same sturdy democ-
racy that purchased his disfavor with his adversaries. During his office in
the State Senate he continued his work for the public interests with the same
disinterestedness and courage, the same disregard of results, and at the same
time his struggle with the "machine" continued also. What would have

(ZBDtoarD Williams l^ookec 219

been the final outcome there is no means of guessing, the power of corrup-
tion was great, but it had against it a strong, resourceful and popular man,
who might very well have won in the end had his life but been spared him.
Of him one of the more independent of the Hartford papers, the "Daily
Times," wrote:

There were qualities about the man that would have made him an ideal representa-
tive of the people in public life, whether in the State House or in the halls of Congress.
But he would not cater to the party machine. He was inclined to be an insurgent, and
to preserve itself, of course, the machine must necessarily be against him. People who
watched Hooker closely in the Legislature felt that it would be a boon to the State if
his party would advance such a man to the Governorship or send him to Congress. But
the powers which controlled nominations had other plans. Hooker's independence of
dictation was too pronounced. Yet his power was such that no machine could com-
pletely sidetrack him. Had he retained his health, there is no assurance that his career
would not eventually have been rounded out in public positions of the greatest trust and
honor.

That a man who had such large and varied duties in both public and
business life should have found time to engage actively in the social life of
the city seems remarkable, yet so strong were his social instincts and so
great his energy that he managed to do so and was undoubtedly one of the
most conspicuous figures in the community. He was a member of many
clubs and fraternal orders and he also belonged to the military body known
as the Governor's Foot Guard, having the rank of captain, and to the First
Regiment of Infantry, afterwards holding the rank of major in the veteran
association. He belonged to the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protec-
tive Order of Elks and was very prominent in Masonic circles, being a mem-
ber of the Lafayette Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Pythagoras Chap-
ter, Royal Arch Masons ; Wolcott Council, Royal and Select Masters ; Wash-
ington Commandery, Knights Templar; Charter Oak Lodge of Perfection;
Hartford Council, Princes of Jerusalem; Cyrus Goodell Chapter of Rose
Croix. He was also a member of the Charter Oak Lodge, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows; Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth Branch, Connecticut
Society, Sons of the American Revolution; John Hay Lodge, Knights of
Pythias, and Sphinx Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. He was an associate member of the Connecticut Consistory, Sov-
ereign Princes of the Royal Secret. He had taken his thirty-second degree
in Masonry. He was a man of strong religious beliefs and a devoted mem-
ber of the First Church of Christ (Congregational), of Hartford, and for a
number of years was chairman of the business committee.

Mayor Hooker was married on November 12, 1889, to Mary Mather
Turner, of Philadelphia, where she was born February 26, 1866, a daughter
of Dr. Charles P. Turner, and granddaughter of Major Roland Mather, of
Hartford. Mrs. Hooker is a woman of charming personality, possessing
those innate qualities of mind and heart so necessary to the success and
happiness of domestic life, and Mr. Hooker was devoted to his home and
family, finding at his own fireside a haven of peace and comfort from the
storms and trials of public life. To them were born two children, as fol-
lows: Rosalie, September 26, 1892, and Roland Mather, September 10, 1900.

In the final analysis the influence of the things a man does is almost

220 OBDtoiaiD muiiam^ ^ookec

always outweighed by that other influence of what he is, and the case of Mr.
Hooker is no exception to this rule. It is possibly a dangerous speculation to
compare such intangible things as influences both of which are so consider-
able, and yet large as was the service wrought by Mr. Hooker as mayor, as
legislator and in the thousand and one relations of life in which concrete,
material things were accomplished by him, there are few who will not agree
to the proposition that as an example of true and sterling manhood he did
not perform a still larger and higher service. Let some of those who knew
him personally and had felt the efifect of his strong personality close this
brief and of necessity, inadequate notice. Shortly after his death Mayor
Lawler, of Hartford, made the following remarks before a committee of
which both he and Senator Hooker were members:

The death of ex-Maj'or Hooker, a fellow member of our committee, comes to us
with a severe shock. The name of Hooker has been honorably associated with the his-
tory of Hartford. He filled the chief magistracy of our city with ability and integrity
and his public life always found him fearless and independent, and no one ever con-
nected with the government of the city had higher-minded ideals of public service, or
a keener appreciation of a public trust. The community has suffered a heavy loss in a
citizen who was a vigorous type of strong manhood, who was beloved by all who knew
him and whose memory will hold an abiding place in the hearts of all our citizens.

His pastor at the Center Church spoke of him as follows:

I was connected with Senator Hooker in the Center Church for a long time. He
was elected chairman of the business committee many times and he always executed
these affairs as faithfully as if they had been his own and to the entire satisfaction of the
members of the church. A word of criticism or complaint concerning his efforts in these
directions was never heard.

Judge Edward L. Smith, Senator Hooker's old rival for the office of
mayor, said :

Mr. Hooker was genial, sincere, frank and an honorably ambitious political oppo-
nent. In health he had a sturdy good fellowship that marked him as a maker of friends.
Long continued illness was a stiff test of character. His patience, his endurance, his
retention in the time of physical trouble and his generous and unselfish thoughtfulness
have shown how successfully he met the test. He died bravely. He leaves a multitude
of friends who grieve that his life was so shortened.

His colleague, Senator E. Hart Fenn, spoke of him in the following
words:

Fearless for what he believed to be right and having no patience with underhanded-
ness and sham, he exerted a strong influence on the Legislature and his counsel was
sought for and was highly valued. In private life he was of an exceptionally attractive
personality and delighted in the society of friends and held them with strong bonds. He
always looked on the brightest side of life and bore his long illness without a murmur.

Baniel 3^tngsburp, 01* B-

'O all who admit that from high example new good springs,
and that the more widely known is a noble life, the more
far-reaching necessarily must its influence be, it must appear
obvious that the preservation for posterity of the records of
such a man as that of the distinguished physician, whose
name heads this article, subserves the double purpose of sat-
isfying the demands of gratitude, which insists upon such
poor tribute in return for his good deeds, and of sowing as widely as possible
the seeds of encouragement and inspiration which the knowledge of such
virtues must bear for all of us. For many years Dr. Kingsbury held a re-
markable prestige in a profession which, as much as any, requires for its
practice those qualities of self-possession and control, mental vigor and
clear-sightedness, and an optimistic view of life without regard for circum-
stances, which are of the most admirable and admired possessions of men.
Beginning life with no external advantages, in an environment strange to
him. he forged his way to a position of fortune and honor in the community,
and left behind him a memory which will long survive him as a grateful
possession in the minds and hearts of all who came in contact with him.

Daniel Kingsbury, M. D., was a scion of the strong and simple stock of
rural New England, his father being Sanford Kingsbury, who for many
years followed the life of a farmer in Tolland county, Connecticut, and mar-
ried Cynthia Baxter, a daughter of a well known farmer of that region. Of
the five children of this worthy couple Daniel was the fourth, his birth occur-
ring in Hartford, Connecticut, January 22. 1828, though his youth was
passed in the rural district of Tolland, where his father had his farm. It was
but a meagre education which he was able to obtain there, the schools being
of a primitive type, and his personal circumstances being such that had they
been of the best, he could have taken but small advantage of them. His
preparation was, indeed, little as compared to what is to-day considered
necessary for a man proposing to enter one of the professions, but this lack
he more than made up for later through his independent studies, and the
spontaneous activity of a mind quick to absorb knowledge from all sources
and extract the pith of experience. His formal schooling consisted of a few
years at a local grammar school, after which he was obliged, while still a
mere lad, to devote himself to making his living. He made his way to Hart-
ford, the city of his birth, and there fortune favored him so far as to lead him
into the home and the employ of Dr. Sperry, who had an excellent practice,
and, as he was soon to show, a still more excellent heart. When young
Kingsbury first came to him he employed the lad as office boy to take care
of his offices on Main street, but a few doors from the old Center Church.
The munificent wages which accompanied this employment amounted to
seventy-five cents a week, with board, but this the good doctor soon supple-
mented with what was of far more value, his interest, sympathy and friend-
ship for one who was obviously earnest and ambitious, as well as industrious

222 Daniel ffilfngsbutp

and sincere. Thus encouraged the lad set about studying medicine at the
advice of his friend, and that the more especially as Dr. Sperry offered to
oversee his reading on this subject and play the part of tutor to him, insofar
as his duties w^ould permit. This pleasant relationship between the two
continued for four years, during which time the young man made most
notable progress and reflected great credit upon his kind preceptor. He
then attended a course of lectures on medicine conducted under the auspices
of the Connecticut Botanical Society, and at their conclusion received a
diploma which entitled him to the degree of Doctor of Medicine and the
right to practice his profession.

This was early in the year 185 1, and he at once began active practice in
New London. He did not continue in that city, however, but after a winter
spent in Hartford with his good friend, Dr. Sperry, went to Glastonbury,
Connecticut, where he established himself on June 2, 1852, and which was
destined to remain his home and the scene of his great success during the
remainder of his life. From the very outset his practice flourished and in
course of time he won for himself a reputation as one of the leading physi-
cians in that part of the State. He identified himself with the interests of
his profession and became a member of the various medical associations and
societies, local and general, and was recognized as an authority on many
branches of medical knowledge. His active practice Dr. Kingsbury con-
tinued with unabated energy and devotion until he was nearly seventy years
of age, when he began gradually to retire, turning over as he did so his great
practice to his son, Dr. William Sanford Kingsbury, who is now the recog-
nized successor to his father throughout the region of Glastonbury. Dr.
Kingsbury, in spite of his retirement from practice, continued to live an
active and valuable life to the venerable age of eighty-six years, his death
occurring in Glastonbury, November 16, 1914. Upon his arrival in Glaston-
bury many years ago he first opened his office in the house of Asa Wells, of
that place, and twice thereafter moved his quarters, coming in 1858 to the
handsome offices he occupied at the time of his decease.

Though his professional duties were very binding and left him but little
time for other occupations, whether of business or pleasure, yet Dr. Kings-
bury never allowed his interest to die in the other aspects of the busy life of
the wide-awake community about him. Though he could not enter local
politics in any active manner, he kept himself well abreast of the issues of
the day, his clear mind and incisive reasoning leading him always to a defi-
nite position as regarded the many questions confronting country. State and
town. He was a life-long member of the Republican party with the prin-
ciples of which he was strongly in agreement. His religious affiliations
were with the Episcopal church, and he was one of the early members of the
parish founded in Glastonbury. He gave generously of time and energy to
his religious duties, acting as treasurer of the parish almost from its begin-
ning, and holding at one time the office of senior warden. He was fond of
social intercourse, though the time he could indulge this taste was naturally
very limited, which was probably the reason also why he was not a member
of more clubs and organizations of a social character. He was a member of
Daskam Lodge, No. 86, Free and Accepted Masons, of Glastonbury.

Daniel iBlingsburp 223

Dr. Kingsbury was twice married. His first wife, to whom he was mar-
ried in October, 1853, was Mary Chapman Loomis, a native of Tolland
coimty, and a daughter of Elmer and Cynthia (Davis) Loomis. Of this
marriage there were two children: i. Frances Estelle, born April 13, 1856;
attended Mount Holyoke Seminary; married, 1880, the Rev. Thomas H.
Gordon ; he was rector of St. John's Church, Chews, New Jersey, for twenty-
three years; Mr. and Mrs. Gordon now reside in Trenton, New Jersey. 2.
Carrie Alice, born March 4, 1858, lives in Glastonbury. Mrs. Kingsbury
died August 10, 1859, and on June 12, 1862, Dr. Kingsbury was married to
Lucy M. Cone, of East Haddam, Connecticut, a daughter of Erastus and
Lucy B. (Beebe) Cone, of that place. There were three children of this
union, as follows: i. Mary Aurelia, born July 3, 1865; graduated from the
Glastonbury Academy, where she was afterwards an assistant teacher;
studied in Germany; was graduated from the Pratt Institute School of
Library Science, 1899; has been librarian of Erasmus Hall High School,
Brooklyn, New York, since 1901 ; she was the first trained high school
librarian in the United States. 2. William Sanford, born September 17,
1867; graduated from Hartford High School; received degree of Bachelor
of Science from Trinity College. Hartford, Connecticut, 1891 ; graduated
from Yale Medical School, 1896; was interne in St. John's Hospital, Lowell,
Massachusetts, for one j^ear; since that time he has been a practicing physi-
cian in Glastonbury, Connecticut; he represented his town in the Legisla-
ture, 1905; in 1898 he married Mary L. Raymond, of Boston, Massachu-
setts; they have two children: Elizabeth and Lienor Prince. 3. Lucie Eve-
lyn, born July 4, 1869; was graduated from Mount Holyoke College, 1891 ;
received degree of Bachelor of Arts from Radcliffe College, 1902; taught in
the high schools of East Hartford, Connecticut, and Montclair, New Jersey;
married, 1907, Dr. Charles G. Rankin: resides in Glastonbury.

It is not always an easy matter to state in definite terms the reasons for
the success won by this or that man in his chosen career. The subtle qualities
of the mind and character are combined in still more subtle unions which
often defy analysis. There are, of course, always to be noted as present
certain great underlying traits of character such as impregnable honesty,
unwearying industry, and a broad understanding of and sympathy with
human character, without which no success that is really worth while is
possible. But having called attention to these things the analyst of char-
acter is often at a loss how to proceed. The efl^ect of personality is realized
intuitively without reference to whether it can or cannot be explained. Such
was very largely true in the case of Dr. Kingsbury. One might not be able
to account for it other than in the bare, elementary way already described,
and yet it was true that one could not be in contact with him more than a
moment without feeling a sort of innate power which was highly impressive
and convincing. Perhaps it can best be put by saying that he had the faculty
of making his fellows trust him, not only his intentions, but his ability to
carry out these intentions. This is, of course, only a way of putting ofif the
ultimate question of his influence, another step, and leaving it ultimately
unsolved, yet perhaps it may throw as much light on the matter as the
nature of the case will permit. Whatever its origin it was certainly an in-

224 Daniel l^ingsbutp

valuable faculty for a physician. Dr. Kingsbury's patients instinctively felt
it. and the position which he occupied w^ith them transcended that of the
mere practitioner, and he seemed largely a doctor of souls as vi^ell as of
bodies. It is a relation that practically never obtains in this day of special-
ists and highly trained attendants, and which required something unusual
in the personality even of the old fashioned general practitioner, for its full
development, but was entirely realized by Dr. Kingsbury with his great
clientele, so that he was at once physician, counselor and trusted friend, to
whom one might turn with confidence in time of doubt and trouble. To say
of a man that he occupied such a position, and to say of him further that he
occupied it adequately, that he betrayed no trust, and offered no foolish
counsel, that he was a friend of every man, "at his most need to go by his
side." is surely one of the greatest tributes which can be paid him, and such
indeed may truly be said of Dr. Kingsbury. This sketch cannot be more
appropriately closed than in the words of the set of resolutions adopted by
the rector, wardens and vestrymen of St. James' Parish, Glastonbury, No-
vember 28, 1914, in memory of him who had for so long been a faithful
friend and co-laborer in the interests of the church. It expresses strongly
and feelingly the respect and affection with which he inspired those with
whom he associated, and makes plain how deeply his influence entered into
the fabric of the community of which he was a member. The resolutions
follow:

Inasmuch as it has pleased Almighty God to call to Paradise the soul of the late
Dr. Daniel Kingsbury.

Resolved, That the Rector, Wardens and Vestry of St. James' Parish, wishing to
express their sense of the loss the church in this town has sustained in the calling away
of one who has faithfully served the parish for many years, do place on record this tribute
to his memory.

He has served the parish as Senior Warden, Treasurer and Vestr3fman. In each
office he has been faithful and efficient. He has given generously of his thought, his
interest, his time, his money, his prayers. To him as much as any one individual is due
the organization, growth and prosperity of this parish. The honesty and integrity of
his business dealings, his upright and consistent daily life, his constant participation in
the services and sacraments of the church, his strong and unfaltering trust in God, won
the esteem of all and the love of many. We thank God for his example and friendship;
and we pray that light perpetual may shine upon him, and that he and we may be par-
takers of the Heavenly Kingdom. And be it

Resolved, That we extend to his bereaved children our tenderest sympathies, and
that we assure them of our earnest prayers that He who doeth all things well will grant
them strength in this time of trouble, and the eternal peace which passeth all under-
standing.

(Signed) Edwakd G. Reynolds, Rector,

and Committee
Giles H. Wadsworth,
Harry E. Welles.

€ItsI)a S^islep

^HE SETTING DOWN of the personal records of the men
who, by dint of worthy effort, have raised themselves to a
high position upon the ladder of success and secured them-
selves in the respect of their fellows must always be a work
of value. Self-made men, who have accomplished much by
reason of their personal qualities and left the impress of their
individuality upon the business and general life of the com-
munities where they have lived and worked, men who have affected for good
such customs and institutions as have come within the sphere of their
influence, have, unwittingly perhaps, but none the less truly, reared for them-
selves monuments more enduring than those of stone or brass. Such dis-
tinction may well be claimed for Elisha Risley, whose career forms the
subject-matter of this brief sketch and whose death on January 13, 1900, at
Hartford, Connecticut, deprived that city of one of its most substantial men
of business and a citizen of the highest type. He was a member of a very
old Connecticut family, the immigrant ancestor, Richard Risley, was a man
of good old English stock and formed one of the numerous party that
accompanied Thomas Hooker upon that expedition which had for its result
the founding of Hartford. In this city he settled and there and in other
parts of the State his descendants have lived from that day to this. And if
upon his father's side Mr. Risley is of English descent, this is equally true of
the maternal line, he displaying the characteristic virtues of that strong and
dominant race.

Mr. Risley's father, Ralph Risley, was a native of Hockanum, near
Glastonbur3^ Connecticut, a very prominent man in that part of the country,
and most typical of the splendid Connecticut farming population which for
so many years has been the back-bone, as it were, of that entire region. He
was a sturdy Democrat of the old school, an ardent believer in the rights oi
the common man and in his ability to take care of his own interests, a man
of strong religious beliefs and feelings, an ardent Methodist and withal a
clever business man and possessed of great executive ability. Six feet in
height, spare and strong, he was a capable worker in the agricultural occu-
pation he had chosen, in which he was highly successful. He and Deacon
Horace Williams were the pioneer market gardners in the region, disposing
of their produce in Hartford, and came to be regarded as the two wealthiest
men in East Hartford in their day. Mr. Risley. Sr., was married to Anne
Winslow, a daughter of Pardner Winslow, of East Hartford, and by her
was the father of a large family of children, of which the Mr. Risley of this
sketch was the youngest. The eldest brother, Ralph Risley, Jr., also dis-
tinguished himself as a business man in Hartford.

Elisha Risley was born in East Hartford, January 11, 1843, and spent
the first eight years of his life in that place in his father's house, one of the
two first brick dwellings on that side of the river. Deacon Horace Williams'

CONN-Vol III-IS

226 Clis&a Hislep

being the other. Mr. Risley, Sr., died about the time his son had completed
his eighth year, and thereupon the lad was sent to dwell with his guardian,
Squire Thaddeus Welles, who in turn sent him to a boarding school in Ver-
mont. He was always a quick ambitious lad and it was in this institution
that he gained the beginnings of the excellent education that he acquired.
He later attended an advanced school in East Hampton, Connecticut, where
he completed the same. He was about nineteen years of age when the Civil
War broke out, whereupon he enlisted in Company H, Sixteenth Regiment
Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, and was ordered to the front, where he
saw much active service, and took part in many notable engagements. He
was wounded at the battle of Antietam and after remaining in the hospital
for some time he returned to the north upon receiving his honorable dis-
charge. Still ardent to serve his country, however, he secured an appoint-
ment as clerk in the Navy Department, Gideon Welles, then Secretary of the
Navy, being a native of the same region as Mr. Risley. It was only after the
close of hostilities and the withdrawal of Mr. Risley from the government's
employ, that his real business career may be said to have begun. He was
first engaged in business in New Britain, Connecticut, but shortly after-
wards became associated with a school friend, Edward Gridley, in the iron
trade. He was employed as manager of the iron works at Amenia, New
York State, between the years 1868 and 1875, and then went to Springfield,
Massachusetts. In the latter place he became associated with the Connec-
ticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, in the capacity of general agent for
the western part of Massachusetts, and it is with this company that the most
important part of his business career is identified. He remained in Spring-
field about six years, or until 1882, when in January of that year he was
appointed superintendent of agents for the company and removed to Hart-
ford where he could take up his work at the central office. The position
now assumed by Mr. Risley was an extremely responsible one as well as
very desirable, and it is said that he was selected from a field of about one
hundred contestants for the place, on account of the remarkable showing he
had made in the western Massachusetts agency and because of his grasp of
the general principles of insurance far above that of the average agent. He
filled the difficult and delicate office with great skill and ability for eighteen
years and more, and only ceased when death called him. During that time
he had gained a high reputation in the insurance world as an expert in the
business and came to be regarded as one of the most substantial men in
the city. His activities were far from being confined to his business inter-
ests or even to his private affairs at all. On the contrary he was a man of
the broadest sympathies and interests and found himself connected with
almost all the important movements in the city which had to do with im-
provement and the advancement of the common weal. One of the most
important of his activities was in connection with his religion and church, a
matter in which he was most profoundly interested. He was an Episco-
palian in belief and a member of Trinity parish, Hartford, for many years.
He participated in the church work and aided very materially the many
benevolences in connection therewith, being a member of the vestry for a
considerable period. He was prominent in Masonic circles in the city, a

(glisfta Kistep 227

member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Royal Arch Masons, and the
Knights Templar, of Boston.

While still engaged in the iron business in New York, or to be more
precise, on February ii, 1874, Mr. Risley was united in marriage with Sarah
Reed, of Amenia, New York State, a daughter of Edward and Abbie
(Hatch) Reed, of that town. To them were born six children, as follows:
Abbie H., now Mrs. Arthur D. Chaffee, of Willimantic, Connecticut, and the
mother of four children, Ruth R., Dwight and Marion, twins, and Barbara:
Emily Welles, now the wife of Hon. William W. Seymour, of Tacoma,
Washington ; Ann Winslow, who resides with her mother ; George Edward,
who married Edith Hall and is a resident of Hartford; Florence S., died in
early youth; and Ralph Green, a lieutenant in the United States Navy and
stationed at Annapolis, graduating from the United States Naval Academy
with the class of 191 1. Mrs. Risley and five of their children survive Mr.
Risley, and she is still a resident of West Hartford, where she makes her
home in the attractive dwelling on Farmington avenue.

Babtti Ctlton

^HE STORY OF the life of the late David Tilton, of Hartford,
Connecticut, who until a few years prior to his death was a
manufacturer of wide-spread reputation, was one of steady
and persistent effort towards worthy ambitions, and of the
success which step by step was won by his industry and
talents. Occupying a recognized and enviable position
among the well known citizens of Hartford, he might point
with pride to the fact that he had gained this place owing to no favor or mere
accident, but to his own native ability and sound judgment, and to the wise
foresight by which he had carefully fitted himself for the work towards
which his inclination directed him. High ideals were coupled in him with
that force of character and that tenacity of purpose which must inevitably
bring forth fruit in a well merited success. The family from which he was
descended was undoubtedly of Saxon origin. The town of Tilton in Leices-
tershire was in existence prior to the time of William the Conqueror and the
town and family are mentioned in "Domesday Book." We are told that
certain members of the family made honorable records in the Crusades (Sir
John Tilton, Knight), and tradition says that the lives of both Edward I.
and Edward HI. were saved by Tiltons, that seven of the family fought at
Bosworth Field, under Henry, against Richard, several of them losing their
lives on that day.

David Tilton was born in Meredith, New Hampshire, November 29,
1834, and died in Hartford, Connecticut, April 26, 1914. He received an
excellent and substantial education in the common schools of his native
town, and at the age of sixteen years was apprenticed to learn his trade in
the Amoskeag Mills, in New Hampshire, where fire engines were manufac-
tured. He was also employed for a time in the shops of the Northfield
Central Vermont Railway Company. He then went to Hartford, Connec-
ticut, where his first position was with the Colt's Firearms Company, but at
the expiration of one year he went to Yonkers, New York, where he re-
mained two years, then spent two further years in New Orleans, Louisiana.
In 1867 he returned to Hartford and entered the employ of the National
Screw Company, where he gained a thorough and practical knowledge of all
the details connected with the manufacture of screws of every description.
He was employed in various shops in Hartford, and in Lakewood, New
Jersey, during the years from 1869 to 1875, and in the latter year went to
Castleton, New York, where he formed the connection with the Atlantic
Screw Company which was to be of such importance and benefit to him and
the entire country. The history of the Atlantic Screw Works is an interest-
ing one, and is as follows :

In 1875 a concern started to make wood screws at Castleton, New York,
taking the name of the town for a firm name. At the end of a short two
years, this company had lost seventy thousand dollars of its own money,
and thirty-five thousand dollars, borrowed from George W. Bruce, a whole-

Wdxnh Hiltint

DanfD Cilton 229

sale hardware merchant of New York City. Mr. Bruce took possession of
the plant in 1877, in order to secure his loan. So worthless, upon examina-
tion, were the original machines found to be, that they were thrown into
the scrap heap. In the meantime, however, David Tilton, who had been
superintendent of the works, being of an inventive and ingenious turn of
mind, had made a number of improvements in the devices for threading, and
Mr. Bruce was so impressed by these, that he decided to develop the machine
with the view of reviving the business. His faith was not misplaced. A
model was set up in Brooklyn, New York, and so satisfactory were the
results obtained when tests were made for quality and quantity, that other
machines of the same type were immediately constructed. The manufacture
was transferred to Hartford in 1879, where it was located in Colt's West
Armory, and work was formally resumed under the business name of
Atlantic Screw Works. Mr. Bruce spent about three years abroad, during a
part of this time being assisted by Mr. Tilton, who personally superintended
the exhibition of the threader in France and Belgium. He took out a
number of foreign patents and built duplicate machines for use in Europe,
but failing health and loss of eyesight obliged Mr. Bruce to abandon the
enterprise, he returned to his home in New York, and died in 1887. So
appreciative was he of the debt he owed to Mr. Tilton for his long, valuable
and faithful service, that he made a handsome provision for him in his will,
and also stipulated that the Atlantic Screw Works should be sold to him on
very easy terms. Mr. Tilton remained the sole owner of the factory until
April 6, 1908, when he retired in favor of his son, Fred N. Tilton. Under
the management of the younger Mr. Tilton the manufactory continued to
gain in importance, and to make satisfactory returns. On January 18, 191 5,
the Atlantic Screw Works filed a certificate of organization with the Secre-
tary of State. The capital stock is one hundred and fifty thousand dollars,
the value of each share being one hundred dollars. One thousand four hun-
dred and ninety-four shares are the property of Fred N. Tilton, the others
being owned respectively by Morton F. Miner, Andrew W. Bowman, Leon
P. Broadhurst, Samuel S. Chamberlain, Charles D. Rice and Samuel M.
Stone. The present factory building was erected in 1902, and is a substan-
tial, modern, brick structure, especially equipped for the work done in it. In
1910 it was found necessary to add another building to the original structure,
as its capacity had been outgrown, and alterations and improvements have
been made throughout the establishment from time to time, as occasion
demanded. The regular product of the factory is wood screws of every
description, and by reason of the improved pointing and threading machines,
the machinery invented by the late Mr. Tilton, the screws secure good
points, round smooth bodies, and true, well-slotted heads. A specialty of
the company is brass and bronze metal screws, with flat, round and oval
heads.

Mr. Tilton married, November 29, 1859, Mary Jane Russell, born in
Manchester, New Hampshire, in 1839, <^i^d at the beautiful summer resi-
dence of the family, at Bow, New Hampshire, November 2, 1901. They
had four children : Nella M., who died February 2"/, 191 1 ; she was the widow
of Horace G. Lord, born at Red Key, Indiana, June 29, 1851, died in Hart-

230 DatiiD Cilton

ford, Connecticut, October 24, 1900; he had been identified with Colt's
Works for a quarter of a century, during a number of years holding the
position of foreman. Warra B., who married Morton F. Miner, associated
with the Atlantic Screw Works ; they reside at 127 Jefferson street, Hartford.
Lela Alice, to whom we are indebted for much of the data upon which this
sketch is based. Fred N., mentioned above; he married Alice B. Curry, and
resides at No. 82 Charter Oak avenue; they have one child, Doris B.

David Tilton was a man who never sought popularity, but those who
came in contact with him in social life were attracted by his geniality, affa-
bility and old time courtesy. He had a natural kindness of heart which no
stress of business ever diminished, and he made many sincere and admiring
friends. Few men possessed a cleaner heart or a clearer conscience.

Albert Tilton, brother of David Tilton, was born August 19, 1839, and
died May 5, 1914. He was the dean of the force of the Winchester Repeat-
ing Arms Company, having been made general superintendent in 1892, and
held this position until early in 1914, when he was made mechanical advisor
in order to relieve him of the great care and responsibilities he had should-
ered until that time.

ttll^sses 3^n^i^ctt ^rxjrkhtei^

^Ipsses ilaplien iSrocfetoap

'HE DEATH OF Ulysses Hayden Brockway at Hartford,
Connecticut, May 15, 1914, deprived that city of one of the
business figures in its business world, a man who for many
years had stood as a type of the conservative, successful
merchant, the substantial and public-spirited citizen. Mr.
Brockway came of the sturdy rural stock of Connecticut, his
family having followed farming as an occupation for many
years in the region of Lyine. The coat-of-arms of the Brockway family is
as follows: Gules: A fleur de lis argent, on a chief of the second (argent)
a lion passant guardant of the first (gules). Two bars wavy, each charged
with three pales wavy, gules. Crest: An escallop or.

He was born at Hamburg, in the town of Lyme, July 19, 1851, a son of
Jedediah and Elizabeth (Lord) Brockway, old residents of that place, and
there passed the days of his childhood on his father's farm, living the not
easy but wholesome life of a farmer's son of that time, and attending the
district school for his education, and having to trudge a full two miles to it
every morning. The most vivid recollections which he possessed of this
part of his life was in connection with the Civil War which broke out when
he was but ten years old, and thus too young to give his services in the cause
he loved. What his childish ability could compass, however, that he did,
playing the drum for the contingent of recruits which was drilled at Lyme.
The lad was an ambitious one. and from early childhood was determined to
alter his lot from that of farmer, which fate seemed to intend for him, to that
of the business man in a city, where he might see more of the world and
take a more vital part in the life of his fellows. Accordingly at the age of
only sixteen years he threw down his hoe and left the parental roof, making
his way to Hartford. It was not a great while before the bright, alert youth
secured a position with Franklin Clark, a merchant tailor at No. 132 State
street, Hartford. The business that Mr. Brockway thus became connected
with, as though it were by chance hap, was the oldest tailor establishment in
the city, having been founded as far back as 1824 by Robert Buell, and did
a trade of the highest class. It was a piece of rare good fortune for the
young man to thus become connected with the concern with which he was
to remain associated for the remainder of his life. He gave eminent satis-
faction to his employer and his promotion was rapid, so that upon the retire-
ment of Mr. Clark in 1878, he and Mr. J. H. W. Wenk continued the business
under the style of Wenk & Brockway. Eight years later Mr. Brockway
became the sole proprietor of the business, and from that time until his death
it was conducted under the style of U. H. Brockway & Company. Under
his masterly management the business grew greatly and became one of the
most important commercial concerns of the kind in Hartford. It was a
long rise from errand boy and clerk, as he had started out, to the position
of one of the first merchants of the city, and Mr. Brockway used to take
great pleasure in recounting the circumstances thereof, especially of the
time spent in the first humble position, when as errand boy he was obliged to

232 Cllpsses ^apDen TBrocbtoap

make his deliveries on foot instead of taking the horse-cars which then were
the only means of conveyance in the streets, for, as he would explain, in those
days money was worth more than time. Throughout the long period of its
establishment the old mercantile house has always stood in its original loca-
tion at No. 132 State street, and as soon as Mr. Brockway was in a position
to own his own home he purchased a dwelling at No. 16 Chapel street, and
there, on account of its accessibility to his business, continued to live until
the time of his death.

Mr. Brockway's business, though he directed his most earnest efforts to
its development, yet did not occupy so much of his time and attention that
he had none to spare on other matters. Public affairs had always interested
him from his first coming to the city, and he entered local politics with zeal
and enthusiasm, though with the most disinterested motives. He was a
staunch Republican in his beliefs and was one of the founders and a charter
member of the Republican Club of Hartford. Though he did not seek his
personal advantage in any way in his political course, yet his availability as
a candidate was so obvious that he was early given the nomination to the
City Council from the old First Ward, and was duly elected and reelected,
serving three terms on that body in 1883, 1884 and 1885. The year follow-
ing he was chosen alderman from the same ward and served his constituents
and the community well and faithfully in that capacity during four terms, or
until 1890. In the year 1896 he was appointed by Mayor Miles B. Preston
a member of the water commission, and reappointed in 1899 to the same
office, acting in this capacity for six consecutive years. He was chosen a
member of the committee of the Second North School District, and served
for many years thereon, as his interest in education was particularly keen,
and the task was one of love. He was greatly interested in the Henry Bar-
nard School situated in that district and labored most faithfully in the inter-
ests of the pupils and teachers connected therewith. His fellow members of
the committee, upon the occasion of his death, drew up a set of resolutions
expressive of their affection and admiration, which is quoted at length
hereafter. Mr. Brockway was for many years a member of the Farmington
Avenue Congregational Church, and during that time was devoted to its
interests, attending service there with the greatest regularity, and giving
liberally of both time and money in its support and that of its various philan-
thropies. He served also as auditor for a numbet of years.

Mr. Brockway married, November 17, 1880, Harriet Norton, a native of
Collinsville, Connecticut, daughter of Seth Porter and Elizabeth (Wilcox)
Norton, of that place, and both members of old and honored Connecti-
cut families. Mr. Norton was a man of prominence in his community
and occupied the position of superintendent of the Collins Manufacturing
Company at Collinsville, Connecticut, for many years. To Mr. and
Mrs. Brockway were born two children: i. Elizabeth Norton, born Feb-
ruary 12, 1882, died November 9, 1907; she was a graduate of Hart-
ford High School of 1899, also graduate of Smith College, 1903; she was
secretary of the Second North School, of which she was a graduate. She
was a member of Smith College Club and of the Daughters of the Amer-
ican Revolution. Miss Brockway possessed many unusual traits of mind
and heart, and her death brought sincere sorrow to a wide circle of

aip0se0 IDapDen iBtocbtoa^ 233

acquaintances. The funeral services were conducted by the Rev. Dr. Wil-
liam De Loss Love, pastor of the Farmington Avenue Congregational
Church; interment in Cedar Hill Cemetery. 2. Ulysses Hayden. Jr., born
July 20, 1890; he is a graduate of Yale University, class of 191 1, and is now
prominently associated with the Travellers Insurance Company of Hart-
ford. Like his father before him he is active in local politics and is now a
member of the City Council. He resides with his mother at No. 136 Sigour-
ney street, whither they moved after the death of his father.

Mr. Brockway was a self-made man in the fullest sense of the term.
Starting as a friendless youth in a strange city, by dint of his unaided efforts,
he worked into a position of great prominence and won an enviable reputa-
tion for himself in his adopted community, for integrity and capability. His
sense of duty was ever the strongest motive in his life, and his friends used
to remark, in reference to his devotion to his church and business, that he
divided his time between "mill and meeting." They should have added
home, however, for there was never anyone more devoted to his family and
hearthstone than Mr. Brockway, or a more devoted husband and father. The
same sterling qualities which made him loved at home, and respected univer-
sally in his public and business life, also gathered about him many faithful
friends whose fidelity he repaid in kind. He was never weary of working for
the benefit of the community and identified himself with many movements
undertaken for the general good. He was an unusual combination of the
conservative and progressive, seeking to find the good in both the old and
the new. He was "a gentleman of the old school" and all that that phrase
implies of grace and courtliness, yet he kept well abreast of the times in all
practical affairs. He was a rare and admirable character in every way and
one of those of whom it may be said that the world is better for his having
lived there. It seems appropriate to close this sketch with the resolutions
adopted in his honor by the committee of the Second North School District,
of which he had for so long been a faithful member, at its meeting on the
evening of July 9, 1914, and which ran as follows :

The Second North School District recognizes in the death of Mr. Ulysses H. Brock-
way, for twenty-two years a member of the District Committee, the loss of a devoted
servant of the interests of the District. A warm friend of the teachers and pupils and
an example of upright, consistent and unobtrusive citizenship, which has been of distinct
value to the youth of the District and of the community. During his long term of service
for the District he was a faithful conservator of its best interests, a wise counsellor and
a self-sacrificing official. His loss will be keenly felt by his associates upon the commit-
tee, by the teachers of the school and by his many friends in the District and in the com-
munity which he has well served by his quiet, unassuming, but effective life.

(Signed) Frank R. Kellogg,

James P. Berry,
Solomon Mallev,
District Committee.

These resolutions, which were presented to Mrs. Brockway and to Mr.
Brockway, Jr., in the form of a handsome volume bound in leather and silk
lined, were but one of the great number of tributes which came in at that
time from friends and associates, in all parts of the city and its environment,
and were an eloquent tribute to the affection and respect in which he was
universally held.

^tt\) porter Jtorton

|NE OF THE old New England families that has won distinc-
tion throughout the length of the history of that part of the
world, in the persons of its various representatives, is that of
Norton, whose residence in Connecticut has lasted many
years and has identified those who bear the name most
closely with the life and traditions of the State. During the
Revolution the name was especially distinguished in the
person of Colonel Ichabod Norton, who took a most effective part in that
historic struggle on the side of democracy and freedom. Colonel Norton
was married to Ruth Strong, who played her own part in those troublous
times in a manner which, if less striking, was equally courageous with that
of her husband. One of their children, George Norton, was the father of the
distinguished gentleman whose name heads this brief article. George Nor-
ton was a prosperous planter or farmer on a large scale, first at Farmington,
whence he moved about 1800, then at Granby and finally at Avon, where he
died on May 11, 1833. His life had extended from the Revolutionary period
— he was born in November, 1782, during the half century succeeding the
successful termination of the war, and he saw the country for which his
father had labored so faithfully, reach a period of strength and security both
internally and externally. He was married to Eliza Frisbie so that their
children were related to a great number of the principal families in the
region, among which should be mentioned the Hookers and Strongs of
Farmington.

The following is a description of the coat-of-arms of the Norton family,
quartering St. Loe, Russell, De La Riviere, etc., etc. :

Arms: Quarterly of eleven. In Chief: i. Argent, on a bend sable, be-
tween two lions rampant of the second, three escallops of the field. 2. Ar-
gent, vair azure. 3. Argent, a bend engrailed sable between two mullets
counterchanged, all within a bordure engrailed of the second. 4. Argent,
bordure sable, charged with ten besants, martlet of the second.

In Fess: i. Sable, chevron ermine between three pheons argent. 2.
Argent, bend sable, three annulets of the field. 3. Sable, three goats passant
argent. 4. Ermine, cross engrailed gules.

In Base: i. Argent, manche gules. 2. Gules, saltire or between four
leopards' face argent. 3. Azure, two bars dansette or.

Crest : On a torse of the colors. Greyhound couped or, collared per fess
gules between two barrulets of the second.

Mantle: Sable and argent, the first veined or.

Seth Porter Norton, son of George and Eliza (Frisbie) Norton, was
born May 16, 1823, at Avon, Connecticut, and there passed the years of his
childhood. He received an excellent education at the schools of Collinsville,
but discontinued his studies at an early age to begin his business career. His
father died when he was but ten years of age and the youth's ambitious
nature urged him to engage in the activities of the great world. Collinsville,

i'ptli Bnrtpr Norton

lEliHalirth litlrnx 5(nrtnn

®etf) Porter Jl3orton 235

the manufacturing town in which were located the schools he attended, was
named for the family which had established the most important industry
in the region, the Collins, operators of the well known Collins Company,
makers of plows, axes and other implements for use in farming and allied
occupations. The Collins Company was a very large concern doing an
immense business in these commodities in New England and it was to secure
a position in this company that young Mr. Norton determined upon. His
alert mind and pleasant bearing made this a matter of no great difficulty and
when but eighteen years of age he began that connection which was to con-
tinue during the remainder of his life. His first position in the Collins Com-
pany was, of course, a subordinate one, but the same qualities that had
gained him admittance in the first place also secured his advance, and he had
soon entered upon that course of promotion that was eventually to place
him as superintendent of the great plant. It was while still holding this
office, in which his efforts contributed not a little to the prosperity of the
business, that death found him still in harness and still laboring faithfully
for the interests that employed him.

Mr. Norton had his own efforts to thank for the success he won in the
business world. He was self-made in the best sense of that phrase, and he
gave to others the full equivalent of what he gained in labor of hand or brain.
Nor was he less successful in other realms than in that of business. Indeed
he was even better known in his home town in his relation to politics and
public affairs than in business and he held a very prominent place in the com-
munity's regard because of the disinterested and efficient manner in which
he discharged his duties in the various official posts with which he was
honored by his fellow townsmen. He held many such positions in the affairs
of the city, and was finally elected in the year 1867 to the State Legislature
to represent his town, and was returned to that body a number of times by
his well satisfied constituents. It seems quite beyond doubt that a career so
auspiciously begun would have carried Mr. Norton to a very high place in
the political life of his State had it not been for his untimely death which
ended so abruptly what seemed to presage so largely for the future. But it
is the most futile of things to speculate on such contingencies, and it is cer-
tainly sufficient to note that for a young man of but forty-four years of age,
his achievements were very great and the more so in that they were wrought
without any compromise of the most scrupulous demands of integrity and
justice. He was, indeed, a man of strong religious feeling and one who
strove with more than the usual measure of success, perhaps, to base his
conduct in everyday affairs in the teachings of the church and its ministers.
He was a lifelong Congregationalist and a member of the church of that
denomination in Collinsville during his residence there. He was also an
ardent worker in the interests of his church and of religion in general and
took an active part in the life of that body. He was a man of many talents,
not the least of which was in the realm of music, and this ability he turned
to the use of the church, taking an active part in the choir, of which he vvas
the leader for a long period, and giving freely of his knowledge and fine voice
for the adorning of the service and the edification of his fellow worshippers.

Mr. Norton married (first) Aurelia Humason, of New Britain, Connec-

236 ^etj) porter jQorton

ticut, December 23, 1845. To this union was born one child, a daughter
Mary, now deceased. Mrs. Norton herself died September 2, 1849. Mr.
Norton married (second) January i, 1851, Elizabeth Esther Wilcox, of
Simsbury, Connecticut. Mrs. Norton was the daughter of Averitt and Sally
(TuUer) Wilcox, old and respected residents of Simsbury. Their children
were as follows: Charles Everett, deceased; Harriet Elizabeth, who was
married, November 17, 1880, to Ulysses H. Brockway, of Hartford; William
Averitt, deceased; George Wilcox; and Charles Robinson, deceased. Mr.
Norton was survived by his wife a number of years, his death occurring
October 29, 1867, hers September 23, 1901.

The character of Mr. Norton was an exceptionally strong one, one that
exhibited at their best many of the fine traits for which New England has
become famous. His integrity was never questioned, his sense of justice and
the rights of others was highly developed and was never transgressed by
him in his actions even when self-interest urged otherwise. It thus hap-
pened that his successful career was not marked by the losing of old friends
or the making of new foes such as so frequently mar success, but rather were
the old friends bound more closely to him by the manly simplicity of his
deportment which no amount of the sunshine of prosperity could spoil, while
the same quality won him hosts of others from among those with whom he
associated in all the relations of life. His home at Collinsville, near the
church, was a charming one and reflected the culture which made it what
it was. Devotedly attached to it he was, as well as to all the circumstances
of home life, his domestic life being a most ideal one, united as it was by
every bond of affection and sympathy among the members of the household.
It was here that he most enjoyed to spend the hours of relaxation from busi-
ness cares and worries, preferring it to a wider social activity, although his
traits of character were such as to make him highly popular in such wider
circles. Nor did he think it proper to absent himself entirely from such
intercourse, and came to be, indeed, a conspicuous figure in the Collinsville
social world. In all respects, indeed, he was a most valuable and exemplary
citizen, and in spite of his youth may be numbered among those who have
potently affected the community for good.

Jj/^^AAl^ir-rrW^

^Killtam austtn ifWoore

ILLIAM AUSTIN MOORE, late of Hartford, Connecticut,
partook in remarkable degree of those qualities of energy,
thrift and sound judgment which have distinguished the
New England families from the beginning. His ancestry-
was among the early settlers of Connecticut, and is de-
scended from Andrew Moore, who appeared at Poquonock,
in the town of Windsor, Connecticut, as early as 1671. His
marriage there to Sarah Phelps, daughter of Samuel Phelps, and grand-
daughter of William Phelps, the immigrant (who came to Dorchester, Mas-
sachusetts, in 1630, and settled in Windsor in 1636), is recorded February 15,
1 67 1. The Phelps family came from Tewksbury, England, on the ship
"Mary and John," and Sarah Griswold, wife of William Phelps, was born in
Kennelworth, England, in 1628, and came to America with her father,
Edward Griswold, in 1639. They also settled in Windsor. Andrew Moore
rendered service in the struggle with the Indians at Simsbury, for which he
received one pound, seventeen shillings. He was active in many ways in the
affairs of ancient Windsor; had a grant of land at Salmon Brook, now
Granby, Connecticut, in 1680, and is described at that time as Andrew
Moore, the carpenter, of Windsor, Connecticut. He died November 29,
1719, and the inventory of his estate amounted to 320 pounds. He was sur-
vived by his wife, who was administratrix of his estate. At his residence in
Windsor he had fifteen acres of land, with house and barn, carpenter's tools,
farming implements, a cider mill, loom, spinning wheel, sword and belt, and
a library prized at eight shillings, besides two pieces of land in Simsbury.

(II) Amos Moore, youngest son of Andrew Moore, born October 19,
1698, was a farmer in Windsor, where he died February 20, 1785. His house,
barn and lands were valued at 496 pounds. He married, May 21, 1720,
Martha, daughter of Obadiah and Christian (Winchel) Owen, born August
16, 1698, died May 20, 1780.

(III) Jonah Moore, third son of Amos Moore, born March 25, 1735, in
Simsbury, was a soldier of the Revolution, and died November 28, 1813, at
Turkey Hills, now East Granby. He married. May 22, 1758, in Boston,
Mary, daughter of William and Mercy (Gibbs) Ridout, born 1733, died De-
cember I, 1807.

(IV) Ridout Moore, second son of Jonah Moore, baptized May 25,
1766, at St. Andrew's Church, Simsbury, was a farmer in Hartland, Con-
necticut, and bought and sold lands in Turkey Hills. He married, June 14,
1784, in Simsbury, Rachel, daughter of Bildad and Mercy (Forward) Eaton.

(V) Pliny Moore, son of Ridout Moore, born about 1785. died in
Becket, Massachusetts, December 19, 1841. He lived most of his life in that
town. He married, March 5, 1806, Sally, daughter of Edward and Polly
(Chaffee) Davis. She died September i, 1837.

(VI) Asa Moore, fourth son of Pliny and Sally (Davis) Moore, was
born May 5, 1819, in Becket, and died at Syracuse, New York, January 13,

238 SxUilliam austin 8©oote

1869. He was largely self-educated, was a man of large figure, great
strength and fine presence. In 1852 he removed to Grove City, Ohio, where
he was for a time a successful merchant, and removed thence, in company
with his brother, Austin Moore, to Florida. In 1857 he took charge of the
latter's estate in Brooklyn, New York, whither he removed, and continued
to reside until 1868, when he went to Syracuse. He married in Sheffield,
Massachusetts, June 7, 1842, Olive Dudley, daughter of William Cullen and
Eliza Elvira (Clarke) Peet, of Sheffield, Massachusetts. Children: George
Edward, born June 14, 1843, i" Sheffield, died unmarried, in Syracuse;
Luther Henry, May 23, 1845, '" Becket, died while a soldier of the Civil
War, at NewlDern, North Carolina, July 8, 1864; Ellen E., January 14, 1847,
in Becket ; William Austin, of further mention.

(VII) William Austin Moore, son of Asa and Olive D. (Peet) Moore,
was born November 7, 1854, at Grove City, Ohio, and died January 31, 1914,
at his home in Hartford, Connecticut. He attended the public schools of
Brooklyn, and Syracuse, New York, and at the age of seventeen years
entered the insurance office of M. V. B. Bull, agent of the Phoenix Mutual
Life Insurance Company, at Albany, New York. In 1874 he removed to
Hartford Connecticut, where he passed the remainder of his life. Here he
entered the home office of the Phoenix Insurance Company, where he be-
came an expert accountant, and won his promotion, until he became first
vice-president of the company, and one of the best known insurance men in
New England. He was elected assistant superintendent of the company,
April 12, 1897, and was made a director, October 13, 1902, secretary, January
27, 1903, and first vice-president, December 2^, 1904. In early life he traveled
much in the interest of the company, and was very fond of outdoor life. He
was much interested in the care and development of the parks of Hartford,
was a member of the Hartford Golf Club, and of the Republican Club. For
six years he was a police commissioner of Hartford, was also a member of
the park commission, and of the City Council, and in every relation of life
proved himself a man of the highest integrity, earning and enjoying the
esteem of his fellows. For twenty-two years he lived on Madison street, in
the southern part of the city, and in 1902 acquired a very handsome residence
on Farmington avenue, where his widow now resides. Mr. Moore was espe-
cially devoted to his home, and accepted public station only as a duty which
he felt that he owed to the municipality in which he lived and prospered, and
in whose welfare and development he was deeply interested. He married,
in Hartford, October 8, 1878, Ida Pratt Cargill, born April 11, 1855, daughter
of Dennis and Esther Pratt (Cadwell) Cargill. They were the parents of
two children: Marjorie Peet, born October 16, 1888, she was married, Feb-
ruary 17, 191 5, to Robert Longley Bridgman, Jr., and William Cadwell, born
Mav 20, 1898.

Clistja Cgarton HtUiarti

^UT FEW REGIONS have such good cause as has New Eng-
land to boast of the men whose names, forming a brilliant
galaxy, are indissolubly associated with her gigantic indus-
trial development, whose unwearied, undiscouraged efforts
have turned, in a little over a century, a rural, undeveloped
country into one of the greatest manufacturing communities
in the world. Thousands of such men there were who gave
their whole lifetime, surrendering present ease and comfort to the building
up of great business concerns which should realize the ideals they had
formed, and which now, in their triumphant sequel, stand as models for the
imitation of the world. Such a man was Elisha Edgarton Milliard and such
a concern the E. E. Milliard Company, which bears the distinction of being
the oldest manufactory of woolen goods in continuous operation in the
country, and has for eighty or more years been in control of the Milliard
family.

Mr. Milliard was born December 8, 1807, in Mansfield, Connecticut, and
was left an orphan at the tender age of three years. He was taken by his
uncle. Mr. Edgarton, a blacksmith, and brought up as one of his family in
his home at Mansfield Center, Connecticut, where he was sent to school and
received his education. In 1824 he had completed his studies and sought
employment, being ambitious to at once begin his career. For the bright
and alert youth of seventeen this was a matter of no great difficulty, and he
soon found himself apprenticed to Sidney Pitkin, manufacturer oi woolen
goods and owner of a mill which even in that early da)' was not new. This
mill had been founded in the latter part of the eighteenth century by a Mr.
Buckland, and was manufacturing blankets for the United States soldiers
during the War of 1812, and it was not long after this that Mr. Pitkin had
come into possession. Young Mr. Milliard more than fulfilled the expecta-
tions which his intelligent bearing had given promise of, and his promotion
under Mr. Pitkin was extremely rapid, so that it was in 1832, but eight years
from the time he had entered as an apprentice, that he was admitted to the
firm as a partner, and at once began the active management of afi^airs which
he continued until his death. Shortly after his admission as a partner Mr.
Pitkin retired and Mr. Milliard became the sole owner of the property and
the head in name as well as in fact. In 1840 he admitted to partnership
Ralph G. Spencer, and for thirty-one years the business was conducted under
the style of Milliard & Spencer. In 1871, however, Mr. Milliard purchased
his partner's interest and at once took his son, Elisha C. Milliard, into the
firm. This association continued until the elder man's death on February
3, 1881. Under the masterly management of Elisha Edgarton Milliard the
industry had grown to great proportions and at one time two mills in South
Manchester were in operation, also one of them occupying the present site
of the Milliard works. The two in South Manchester were later purchased
by Cheney Brothers and are at present used by them as a woodworking mill.

240 (IBIisl)a dBDgarton li^illiarD

Nor was this the extent of Mr. Hilliard's manufacturing interests. Besides
the South Manchester mills he also owned a factory in Vernon Center and
another at Glastonbury, Connecticut. These various enterprises were all
successful and Mr. Hilliard grew to be very wealthy and became a prominent
figure in the community. Before the introduction of the great silk industry
in South Manchester, the Hilliard enterprise was one of the largest and
most important in the region, and though the latter has eclipsed it relatively,
the woolen concern has actually increased its size up to the present day and
is now in a most prosperous condition and doing the largest business it has
done in all its long career. Since the death of Mr. Hilliard, his son, Elisha
C. Hilliard, has remained at the head of the concern and has continued the
wise management and policy of the elder man. In 1893 the company was
incorporated under the name of the E. E. Hilliard Company with the present
Mr. Hilliard as its president. In the year 1901 the company purchased of the
Peter Adams Company an old paper mill which had been partly destroyed by
fire some time before and never rebuilt. This property and the exceptionally
fine water rights which went with it the Hilliard company began at once to
utilize. On the site of the old paper mill, a modern power plant was erected
in which the force developed by the fall of water was transformed into elec-
tricity and conveyed by wires to the Hilliard mill. The capacity of this plant
is four hundred horse power and it now supplies a large proportion of the
power utilized by the mill.

Mr. Hilliard married, May 6, 1835, Charlotte D. Spencer, a native of
Bolton, Connecticut, and a daughter of Selden Spencer, of that place. Mrs.
Hilliard survived her husband for thirteen years, dying on June 17. 1894.
To them were born five children, as follows: Elizabeth, deceased; Maria
Henrietta, deceased; Adelaide Clementine, who is now a resident in the
old family mansion situated near Manchester, Connecticut ; Mary Ellen, now
the wife of Dr. James W. Cooper, of Hartford; and Elisha Clinton, of Hart-
ford, who has already been mentioned as the president of the E. E. Hilliard
Company.

The phrase which perhaps best sums up the achievements of the strong
and successful sons of New England, with that terse completeness which
idiomatic forms alone possess, is the familiar one "a self-made man." This
Elisha Edgarton Hilliard was preeminently a man who made the very most
of limited opportunities, and turned difliculties into stepping stones for
further advancement with naught save his own native energy and intelli-
gence. An inflexible will which bent for no obstacle, he nevertheless had an
abiding sense of justice and never failed to consider the rights of other men
with whom he came in contact, no matter how greatly it might appear to
his advantage. To his great capacity for the practical affairs of the world,
he added an idealism in a high degree unusual, and was a strongly religious
man, and a faithful church member. His religious afiiliations were with the
Congregational church, and for many years he was a member of the North
Church of that denomination, and a faithful worker in the cause of its
advancement. He was a deacon also and filled that ofiice with enthusiasm,
doing all that lay in his power for the support of the church and its many
benevolences. Through all his busy life he held to the high ideals he had

I

misba dBDgatton lt)iIIiatD

241

set for himself and was equally above reproach in his business and personal
relations. His fondness for his family and home was very strong and he
found his chief happiness in the intimate intercourse of his own household.
However much his mind might be occupied with the pressure of business,
he never forgot the wants and desires of those about him, and was forever
devising means whereby he might further the pleasure and happiness of
those about him. In all respects, howsoever he may be viewed, he was a man
to which any community might be proud to point as a member, and which
it could most appropriately hold up to its youth as a type of good citizenship.

CONH-Vol HI -16

01. &xMox^ Bton

N THE DEATH of M. Bradford Scott, West Hartford, Con-
necticut, lost a citizen who made for himself a prominent
place in the life of the city, not only in business circles, but
in the world of philanthropy, in church affairs, and in every
enterprise which had for its object the advancement and bet-
terment of the community with which he had been so long
a time closely identified. He had inherited in rich measure
the sterling qualities so characteristic of his ancestors, and in this connection
it seems appropriate to give brief mention to the origin of the name Scott.

According to the historian Boethius (and his theory is supported by
Vermundus, Cornelius and Scoleger), the origin of this name goes back to
extreme antiquity. Boethius avers that it is derived from Scota, the
daughter of that Pharaoh, King of Egypt, who was drowned in the Red Sea.
The history reads like a fairy tale. Gathelus, son of Cecrops, first King of
Athens, and a native of Egypt, became so insolent and troublesome at the
court of his father, that he was banished the kingdom. Accompanied by a
large band of fugitives, he left Greece and went to Egypt in the time of
Moses, at a time when Pharaoh was engaged in a war with neighboring
nations. Joining in forces with the Egyptians, he was made a general, and
soon subdued the natives at war with Pharaoh, and so won the favor of that
monarch that the latter gave his daughter, Scota, in marriage to Gathelus.
About this time Egypt was visited with the plague mentioned in the Bible.
In order to escape from this scourge, Gathelus and Scota, his wife, with a
large number of Greeks and Egyptians, put to sea, and landing in Spain,
called that portion of the country Port Gathale, now known as Portugal.
On account of the affection Gathelus bore his wife, Scota, he named the
people Scottis. After years of bloody warfare with the barbarians of Spain,
Gathelus, with his colony, sailed for and landed in Ireland, and afterwards
went over to the northern part of Britain, which was called Scotland (the
land of the Scots) from the Scots who planted themselves there. We have
the testimony of Seneca that the name of Scot was known to some writer in
the first century. The Bishop of Aberdeen, who searched all the monu-
ments of antiquity in Scotland, says that all agree that the name of Scott
was derived from Scota, the most important person in the colony. Long
anterior to the general use of surnames, natives of Scotland who migrated
to England or other countries added Scotus to their proper names to indicate
their nativity or descent. Among these was John Duns Scotus, one of the
greatest scholars of his time, of whom Halles says that thirty thousand
people attended his lectures at Oxford. As we come down to the Norman
period in England, distinguished people who had Scotch blood in their veins
added the Christian name "le Scot," as John le Scot, last Earl of Chester,
and his grandnephew, William Baliol le Scot, ancestor of the Scotts of Scotts
Hall, Kent. The old Norman church at Bradbourne, Kent, contains many
monuments of the Scotts of Scotts Hall, some of which date back to the

TTTt^o^/^yzI^^

09. IBtaDfotD Scott 243

thirteenth century. In Kent, Staffordshire and the Scotch border, for long
generations the family of Scott has been one of great wealth and power. At
one period it was said that the Scotts of Scotts Hall could travel from
Bradbourne to London, some fifty or sixty miles, without leaving the estates
of the family connections. It is an historical record that in 1665 "Lady Anna
Scott was esteemed the greatest fortune and most accomplished lady of the
Isle of Britain." In Scotch history we meet with John Scott, a native of
Cheshire, England, who was elected Bishop of St. Andrews in 1178. The
first of the name of Scott in England after surnames came into general use
was John Scott, the last Earl of Chester, born in 1206. Sir Peter Scott, first
mayor of Newcastle in 1251, and Sir Nicholas, his son, capital bailiff of New-
castle in 1269, date from the same century. The name has also had many
distinguished representatives in this country.

Moses Scott, father of M. Bradford Scott, was the possessor of a re-
markably fine voice, and he was frequently called upon as a singer on public
occasions of varied character. In his earlier years he had taken up the study
of medicine, intending to follow the medical profession, but he abandoned
the idea in favor of the drug business, and was the successful proprietor and
manager of a drug store in Manchester for many years, his brother William
being a physician in the same city. He married Esther Salisbury.

M. Bradford Scott was born October 25, 1843, ^nd died May 25, 1906.
His education was a sound and practical one, and when he entered upon his
business career he was successful in all that he undertook. For a period of
thirty years he filled the responsible position of cashier of the Hartford
Fire Insurance Company, which position he held at the time of his death.
For many years he was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hartford
Trust Company, being the incumbent of this office at the time of his
lamented death. Both of these companies, as well as a number of other
institutions, held special meetings at the time of the death of Mr. Scott,
resolutions being passed in his memory, and these were presented to the
bereaved family. In political matters Mr. Scott always supported the Repub-
lican party, and although he never sought office, but let "the office seek the
man," as he expressed it, he was honored by election to the Legislature
from Manchester in 1884, and served with credit and honor to himself and
his constituents, and also served in the City Council as alderman. He was
a devout member of the Congregational church, serving as chairman of the
business committee, in which capacity the church profited greatly by his
practical advice. He had inherited his father's talent and musical ability,
and for many years had charge of the choir in the church with which he was
affiliated in Manchester. His fraternal affiliations were with the Order of
Free and Accepted Masons, the Sons of the American Revolution, and the
Republican Club. One of his chief forms of recreation was found in travel-
ing, and he had traveled extensively in this country, and had visited Europe
in 1894.

Mr. Scott married Mary E. Clark, daughter of Albert and Mary (War-
ren) Clark, of Connecticut. Mrs. Scott was a faithful and earnest helpmeet
to her honored husband; she is loved and respected by all, there being today
no woman who occupies a more enviable position in the circles in which she

244 ^' 'BtaDforD %tott

moves, for her many friends and acquaintances have learned to prize her for
her beautiful character and useful life. Thus, in a brief v^^ay, has been out-
lined the career of M. Bradford Scott. The cause of humanity never had a
truer friend than this valued gentleman who has passed to the higher life.
The stereotyped words customary on such occasions seem but mockery in
writing of such a man when we remember all the grand traits that went to
make the character of this, one of nature's noblemen. In all the relations of
life — family, church, state and society — he displayed that consistent gentle-
manly spirit, that innate refinement and unswerving integrity that endeared
him alike to man, woman and child. Indeed, the greatest eulogy that can
be pronounced on any man may be consistently said of him, "He was true
and faithful to every duty and trust reposed in him." The only child of Mr.
and Mrs. Scott is Henry Walter Scott, who lives in Hartford, and married
Jennie Hill ; they have one child : Bradford Hill Scott.

t-^^t^K^

laobert ISaeller

^O INVESTIGATE THE careers of those men who, in the
truly Democratic communities of America, without favor or
advantage of any kind over their fellows, have by their own
courage and ability made their way up the ladder of success,
cannot fail to be of benefit, since it must bring to light many
till then hidden treasures of character and mind, to serve as
models for future generations, generations which with the
advance of the arts and the multiplication of comforts and luxury, might be
tempted to relax somewhat from the severe but wholesome ideals of duty
which in the past have borne such worthy fruit. Nor is it only such figures as
have won their successes in public life and gained for themselves the applause
of the world that will serve this turn, but not less so those whose accom-
plishments have been along more secluded ways, who maybe have not been
known to more than a comparatively small acquaintance, but whose per-
sonalities have acted as an inspiration within those limits, whose example
has tended only and always to foster virtue and discourage evil. Among the
ranks of these may well appear the name of Robert Weller, whose brief life,
coming to an untimely end, May i6, 1913, at the age of forty-five years, de-
prived the city of Hartford, Connecticut, of one of its rising citizens, his
large circle of acquaintances of a faithful friend, his family of a devoted
husband and father, and the world of an honest man. Indeed it might be
prophesied with every show of reason that Mr. Weller's talents would have
made him known to a larger public and proclaimed themselves in a more far-
reaching tone, for the future promised well and his powers had scarcely
reached their zenith, had it not been for the death which so abruptly brought
to a close a career so brilliant.

Mr. Weller was a native of New York City, born September 12, 1868,
remaining in the place of his birth during the years of his childhood and
early youth. He learned the engraving trade in Hartford, Connecticut.
Upon reaching manhood he began a tour of the western part of the United
States, where he had the good fortune to meet his prospective wife and
marry her. It was then that he returned to the east, and this time took up
his abode in the charming city of Hartford, where he continued to live dur-
ing the remainder of his brief life, and where he quickly established himself
in business. The business he chose was that of engraving and designing, and
his office was situated at No. 177 Asylum street. The real talent of Mr.
Weller in the line he had chosen, combined with an excellent sense of busi-
ness, brought him rapidly into the first ranks of his profession, and insured
him from the outset a very considerable success and that enviable reputation
for integrity and ability which can only be the outcome of real industry and
a consistent regard for obligations and the rights of others. As time went
on his measure of success grew rapidly and he was regarded as one of the
prominent men in the community at the time of his death. Mr. Weller was
a man of much public spirit and during his residence in Hartford was con-
nected with many movements for the advancement of civic interests and the

246 mo6ett mtutt

benefit of the community at large. He was also very charitably inclined and
concerned himself not a little for the advantage of those less fortunate
members of the community which are obliged to depend on the efforts of
others in whole or in part. He was a man of strong religious instincts and
beliefs, and afifiliated with the Episcopal church. During the years spent
in Hartford he was a member first of Christ Church and later of St. James'
Parish, and was active in working for its cause and the interests of religion
in general.

As has already been remarked, it was during the tour which he made of
the west that Mr. Weller met the young lady who soon after became his wife.
This occurred in the progressive city of Peoria, Illinois, where he was travel-
ing in the year 1894. The young lady was Frances Maud Todhunter, a
daughter of John and Catherine (Scott) Todhunter, old and highly-
respected residents of that place. It was on March 15, 1894, that Mr. Weller
and Miss Todhunter were united in marriage, and shortly thereafter the
youthful couple made their home in Hartford, where Mrs. Weller and the
four children of their union still reside, having all survived Mr. Weller. The
married life of Mr. and Mrs. Weller was indeed an ideal one in every do-
mestic relation. Their children are Lillian Elizabeth, Raymond Francis,
Florence Josephine and Ruth Maud.

Death, always tragic in itself, contains a double share of that quality
when it occurs in the very heyday of a man's vigor and the full tide of his
activity, leaving so many hopeful beginnings unfinished, and so many links
with the world abruptly severed. Nevertheless, there is a certain consola-
tion in many cases of the kind to be gained from the observation that into
the comparatively short period of life there has been, if the phrase be per-
missible, as many years worth of action and event, as into the more slowly
moving currents of lives which, measured by the clock, seem longer. Cer-
tain it is that, if time is relative, and but measured by the passing of events,
the lives of such men as Mr. Weller, crowded with happenings and plans,
"full of a number of things," as Stevenson put it, must appear as long to their
possessors as those of other men, and lacking withal in the inconveniences
of old age and the decay of faculties. Even in the efifect upon the com-
munity the same truth holds good, and many a young man such as Mr.
Weller has left, not merely a more vivid impression, but an influence abso-
lutely larger in bulk, so to speak, than the average man whose death only
comes after the allotted term of three score years and ten. As far as Mr.
Weller's influence upon those about him was concerned, it was doubtless
large, and what is even more to the point, wholly salutary. One way in
which it was exerted was through his art which in a man of his artistic
sense and ability could not fail to exercise a refining and cultivating power
upon all those who came in contact with it. Perhaps even more potent,
however, was the influence exerted directly by his personality, in virtue of
his many sterling virtues, and his strength of character. His associates
universally felt its spell, recognizing his fine qualities and paying tribute to
them with admiration and afifection which were wholly spontaneous. His
conduct in every relation of life was most commendable, and whether as a
husband and father, whether as a friend or a citizen, or whether simply as a
man among men, he might well serve as a model for the youth of future
generations.

^

Jfreliertcfe a* 3Robbtns

N EUROPE, especially in England, it is very common to come
upon business houses that, like the aristocratic estates of the
nobility, have continued for more than one or two genera-
tions in the control of one family, the possessors of which
feel quite as strong and rather more wholesome pride in the
stability and reputation of their mercantile enterprises as
ever the aristocrat can. In this country, on the other hand,
such houses are of much more rare occurrence and it is only in New England,
where they approach in number and character the similar institutions
abroad. Like her namesake across the sea. New England, however, can
show many such houses, industrial, commercial, and financial, whose prin-
cipals feel the same strong and wholesome pride, and maintain just as jeal-
ously the traditions and ideals thereof, traditions and ideals which they be-
lieve with great justice to be the cause of their success and permanence. An
excellent example of such a mercantile establishment is the furniture business
of Robbins Brothers, Incorporated, of Hartford, Connecticut, with which
the gentleman whose name heads this brief sketch was associated during his
entire life. The business was founded by his father as early as the year
1826 under the name of Robbins & Winship, at the corner of Main and Mul-
berry streets, opposite what is now the Wadsworth Atheneum. At that
time they manufactured all their furniture and employed quite a force of
men, having a number of apprentices learning the business in the different
branches. Their lumber was bought at auction in New York City in the
log and sawed to order. It was the rosewood and black walnut period in
furniture making and French carvers were engaged to do the carving, espe-
cially on the rosewood pieces. This continued until the starting up of the
large furniture factories in the West in the heart of the lumber regions and
the development of railroad transportation. Since then, manufacturing has
continued in only a limited way, the firm buying most of its merchandise.
And just as the business is an excellent example of such permanent estab-
lishments that far outlast the lives of those who are responsible for their
conception and start, so Mr. Robbins himself was an equally good example
of the substantial business man and merchant that has thriven so abund-
antly in that part of the world.

Frederick A. Robbins was a member of a very old and distinguished
New England family, the representatives of which for many generations
had been closely identified with the public afi^airs of the community where
they dwelt. He was born December 5, 1841, in the city of Hartford, and in
that city passed his entire life. His childhood and early youth were spent as
they are in most instances today, in the pursuit of education and the innocent
pleasures of children, though in the case of Mr. Robbins an unusual share
was given to the former, the lad being early of a serious and ambitious
nature. Fifteen years before his birth, his father, Philemon F. Robbins,
founded the business that was so long to survive him and which was to play

248 jFrcDcrick 3. IRobbin0

so important a part in the Hartford commercial world. This business pros-
pered from the outset and at the time of young Mr. Robbins' leaving school,
was already regarded as among the important concerns in the city. A few
years later the firm name became Robbins, Winship & Company, Frederick
A. Robbins entering the firm, and about 1882 was changed to Robbins
Brothers, being composed of Frederick A. and his brother, Philemon W.
Robbins. On May i, 1914, the business was moved to No. 310 Pearl street
and incorporated, becoming Robbins Brothers, Incorporated, with Frederick
A. Robbins president. The business is to-day very nearly ninety years old
and a great measure of this success is the direct result of the clear judgment
and grasp of the business principles possessed by Mr. Frederick A. Robbins,
which for so many years were always at the disposal of its needs.

Mr. Robbins was interested in a general way in the political issues of his
time and in their application to local afi^airs, but his retiring disposition with-
held him from taking an active part therein and allying himself to the local
organization of the party, of which he was a member. He was possessed of
strong religious beliefs and feelings and was a lifelong member of Christ
Episcopal Church of Hartford.

Mr. Robbins was united in marriage with Cordelia Fay Loomis, of
Hartford, on June 17, 1879. She was the daughter of Henry A. and Cynthia
M. (Pease) Loomis, of Suffield, Connecticut. To them were born three
children who, with their mother, survive Mr. Robbins. They are Frederick
A. Robbins, Jr., a resident of Hartford, Nellie L., now Mrs. Edward C.
Swan, of West Hartford, and Fay Loomis, a resident of Hartford.

The qualities which chiefly distinguished Mr. Robbins throughout his
entire career, even in the latter part of it when success would seem to have
encouraged some relaxation of efifort, were those of the most scrupulous
conscientiousness to the tasks he undertook to perform and an integrity
above reproach in every relation of life. He was one of those comparatively
rare individuals to whom religion is not a matter of profession pure and
simple, but a practical guide for the problems and difticulties of every day
life and labor. His treatment of others accorded well with this high ideal,
and it was truly in a Christian spirit that he dealt with his associates of every
kind, whether business or personal, gaining in return a respect and venera-
tion from the whole community that will long outlast the term of his mortal
life. A man of retiring disposition, he was particularly devoted to the
society of his own family and household, and was never so happy as when
enjoying this gentle intercourse. He was a devoted friend, husband and
father, and throughout life displayed a noble disinterestedness in connection
with his own happiness, being always ready and willing to sacrifice it if by
so doing that of others whom he loved could be assured.

f^^-.^L

3(ames S^sepl) ifHorcom

HOSE STRANGE REGIONS in which is to be found some
of the wildest and most beautiful scenery in the world, com-
prised in the rugged islands which, bounding the north and
west coast of Scotland, extend their greatly lessened bulk in
two branches southward, the one following the coast of
Ireland along the shores of Donegal, the other penetrating
the Irish Sea, are, considering their proximity to such
centers of civilization as the British Isles, surprisingly little known popu-
larly, and when thought of at all are thought of rather as the romantic realms
of fairies than as the abodes of ordinary mortals like ourselves. This isolation
is largely due to the natural peculiarities shared by them. Bold and rocky,
thev rear themselves up from the stormy seas that flow about them, and do
not by their surface encourage the industries of their inhabitants, nor do
their shores permit an easy approach either to travellers or traders. One of
the southernmost of these islands, the climate of which is rendered far more
mild and peaceful by its sheltered position in the Irish Sea, is the strange
little kingdom of Man, assuredly, one of the smallest realms that can lay
claim to any degree of independence in the world. For centuries it retained
its own traditions and customs, its own government and laws, and even to-
day is in a large measure independent of the imperial parliament of its great
neighbor and which, passing over the prerogatives of Man, extends its con-
trol into the ultimate parts of the earth. The island is but little over thirty
miles in length and but little more than one-half as broad, it has a population
of about fifty-five thousand souls, yet it retains a large degree of independ-
ence and is the scene of many beautiful and interesting old ruins, tokens of
its former pride and strength.

It was here, in the little town of Kirkpatrick, amid these picturesque
and romantic surroundings, that James Joseph Morcom, whose name heads
this brief sketch, and whose later life was spent in the midst of scenes so dif-
ferent as the busy industry of the new world, was born October 21, 1852. He
was a son of James and Elizabeth (Bawden) Morcom, who lived and died
in their native land, although the father made one trip to the American con-
tinent. James Joseph Morcom did not remain a great while in Man, but
accompanied his father while a mere lad upon the voyage to America just
spoken of, and never returned. His father was a bridge architect and it was
in pursuit of his calling that he came to this country, or rather to Canada,
where he did considerable important work, and among other things built
the Victoria bridge over the St. Lawrence river at Montreal, Canada. The
lad also found employment, and that speedily, his alert, receptive mind
recommending him to whoever he approached. He secured a position as a
bookkeeper with the Grand Trunk railroad at the Montreal office when but
twelve years of age. He made an excellent record at his new task, and was
in line for promotion, but he was fond of moving about and seeing the world,
so that after a few years he gave up the Grand Trunk, moved to the West

250 31ames 3losep|) dotcom

and went on with his railroading there. He was employed by the Wabash
Railroad Company. When he left the Grand Trunk he held the position
of auditor of accounts, and in the companies he transferred his services
to he held similar positions in the accounting departments. While he
was in the Wabash, Mr. Gait, the manager of that company, took a fancy
to the clever youth and appointed him his private secretary. With Mr. Gait
he went to St. Louis. While in that western city he became interested in
the great possibilities that were opening up to the insurance business at that
time, and a little later entered upon his long association with the Travelers'
Insurance Company of Hartford. For a time he represented the company
as a special agent in St. Louis, but later returned to the East, now taking
up his abode in the home city of the new concern. It was in 1880 that he
first became connected with the Travelers, and in 1884 that he settled in
Hartford. Upon reaching that city he was installed in the home ofiF.ce and
there given the position of assistant adjuster and later as chief adjuster of
the company. The latter office he held for eight years or until the time of
his death. There was no one living at the time who held a greater reputa-
tion as an insurance adjuster than Mr. Morcom, who was highly prized by
the Travelers as a most efficient officer.

During his residence in Hartford he took a very active part in the gen-
eral life of the place and was connected with many important organizations
and clubs, as well as with many independent movements undertaken for the
welfare of the community. He was not, however, very active in politics,
although a strong believer in the principles and policies of the Republican
party and accustomed to support its candidates at the polls. In religion he
was affiliated with the Episcopal church, the faith of his forefathers, but
attended the Congregational church in Hartford. Socially he was a promi-
nent figure and was included in the membership of several organizations of
a fraternal character. Among these was the Masonic order, he being a
member of St. John's Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Hartford. He
was also a member of the Hartford Club of Hartford and the Maple Hill
Golf Club of New Britain.

Mr. Morcom was united in marriage on September 10, 1874, with Mary
Ann McKay, of Hemmersford. Province of Quebec, Canada, a daughter of
William Alexander and Margaret (Brownlee) McKay, residents of that
town. Mrs. Morcom survives her husband, together with the three sons
born of their union, as follows: William James, now living in Boston with
his wife, who was Mabel Dwyer, and their little daughter, Doris McKay
Morcom; Frederick Charles, now a resident of Houston, Texas, where he
married Sparke Hastings, by whom he had two sons, James Stewart and
Robert Sparke; Clifford Bawden, who married Hazel Moore and now lives
in Hartford with his wife and son, Clifford B., Jr. The eldest son. William
James, is now connected with the same company of which his father was
for so many years an officer, and is now agency auditor for the Travelers'
Insurance Company.

Mr. Morcom's death, which occurred in his charming home at No. 27
Sumner street, Hartford, of heart trouble, February 15, 1907, cut short a
career already remarkably successful, and which promised still greater

3|ames 31ogep|) gj^otcom 251

things for the future. He was but in his fifty-fourth year, a man in appar-
ently robust health, who was scarcely known in his whole business career
to have missed a day on account of sickness. The trouble which finally
killed him was that insidious one of the heart, angina pectoris, which did not
even render him indisposed until a couple of days before the end. his final
attack being so sudden that the physician sent for did not have time to reach
him before death intervened. He was a great loss to the insurance world,
where he held a high rank in the opinions of his fellows, and also to the
community at large, where he was well known and greatly liked. He pos-
sessed a very large circle of friends, since, indeed, all were connected with
him in any manner desired to be called by that name. His sterling qualities
recommended him to all and won at once the respect and afifection of those
who came in contact with him, even in the most casual way. Though a
stranger by birth he entirely identified himself with the life and traditions of
his adopted land and well lived up to its best standards and ideals.

2:ut)loto iSarfeer

I

UDLOW BARKER'S life presents one of those rare instances
of whole-souled devotion to a single cause or subject which
recognizes no difficulties nor obstacles and presses on with-
out deviation to its intended end, such instances as may well
serve as examples of consistency of desire and constancy of
efifort. Neither by birth nor parentage was Mr. Barker an
American, if that title be unduly restricted to the inhabitants
of the United States, but he was a native of the sister realm of Canada, and
lived the major part of his life in New England, so that he was in all matters
identified with the interests of this country and wholly of ourselves.

He was born in Fredericton, one of the two largest towns of New
Brunswick, Canada, November 25, 1828, a son of Samuel and Eunice Ann
(Harper) Barker, old residents of that place, where, too, he spent his early
years. These years were employed in the acquisition of a first class educa-
tion in the local schools, an advantage that was shared by the whole faiuily
of five children. From a very early age he displayed an unusual interest in
music, and seemed to derive the greatest enjoyment from its performance,
so that, as he grew older, it became his object to follow some line of occu-
pation that should involve as much of his beloved art as possible. Mr.
Barker was not the first member of his family who displayed this particular
bent, an uncle on his mother's side of the house having engaged in the busi-
ness of manufacturing pianos in Boston, and his parents, who with better
judgment than is displayed by most seconded his determination, sending
him to the United States and to Boston, where he might learn his uncle's
trade. Accordingly, while still a mere lad, he made the journey to that city
and was there received by the relative already mentioned, Mr. Edward
Harper, who took him under his care and tutelage. He rapidly learned the
business of piano making and at the same time followed a course of musical
instruction in Boston under the best masters obtainable, by which he profited
greatly. His attention was largely turned to the subject of choir and organ
work in which he became extremely proficient, and gained the reputation,
well deserved, of a thorough musician. In the year 1849. he left Boston and
came to the city of Hartford, Connecticut, with which place his musical
career is chiefly associated. It was with the double purpose of opening a
piano establishment and becoming the organist of the South Congregational
Church there that he removed to Hartford, which from that time to the end
of his life remained his home. He continued in that business until his death,
doing a very thriving trade and becoming one of the best known dealers in
the country. He was popularly known as the "king of piano salesmen."
His business was very large and there was no State from Maine to California
to which he did not send his instruments. His first place of business in Hart-
ford was in the old State Bank Building. These quarters, however, soon
became quite inadequate to accommodate the growing trade and he removed
to the Union Hall Building. Eventually these quarters also proved too lim-

t-^^Zyl't/'-

HuDIoto 'Barker

253

ited and he once more removed, this time to No. 151 and 153 Asylum street,
where for forty years the business has been conducted successfully.

For two years after his arrival in Hartford Mr. Barker held the position
of organist in the South Congregational Church and there quickly won fame
as a brilliant and able performer. At the expiration of the two years, he
received an offer from the First Baptist Church to become its organist, an
offer he gladly accepted, since he was a member of the church himself, adher-
ring to that form of worship. For twenty-one years or more he continued
to hold this position, maintaining and increasing his reputation, and finally
withdrew to take the same position with the Center Congregational Church,
where he remained ten years. But his musical activities did not by any
means end here. In the year 1878 Mr. Barker organized a male chorus of
some fifty voices, chosen from among the singers who accompanied the
great Moody and Sankey revival of that time. This chorus, in which he took
especial pleasure, remained together under Mr. Barker's leadership for many
years, and furnished a high order of music for all sorts of public occasions,
including important funerals and Memorial Day exercises, etc. For twenty
years he acted as the instructor and leader of the Hartford Male Chorus, as
the organization was called, and it was due to his efforts that the city became
early acquainted with much of the best in musical art. The city owes him
another debt of gratitude only second to that due him for his introduction
there of the best compositions of the great masters of all ages, and that is on
account of his efforts in bringing before it many of the greatest virtuosos of
the day. It was due to his efforts that such singers as Mme. Parepa Rosa,
such pianists as Von Bulow, Thalberg and De Poehmann made their bows in
Hartford, as well as many others of lesser note. Nor even yet is the list of
his services to music and his adopted city exhausted. He was a highly suc-
cessful teacher and trained many who have since become well known in the
art. He gave his first lessons in harmony to Dudley Buck, and his own
ardent enthusiasm in the cause of his art without doubt stimulated and
inspired his pupils to their best efforts.

So deeply interested and engaged was Mr. Barker in his art and the
various occupations to which it gave rise, that it is not surprising that he
did not find a great deal of time for other activities, yet there was one matter
in which he always took a vital interest and showed himself ready to labor
for with zeal and understanding. This was his religion, in the cause of
which he was ever an ardent worker, giving much of his valuable time and
energy in its behalf. It has already been noticed that he was a member of
the Baptist church and it was in this connection that he became an organ-
izer, and for ten years the president of the Farmington Avenue Christian
Association which held religious services in the Whitting Lane schoolhouse
and the Prospect Avenue Chapter House of the King's Daughters.

Mr. Barker was twice married. His first wife was Lilla A. Bolles, a
daughter of Edward Bolles, of the well known firm of Bolles & Sexton, of
Hartford, with whom he was united in marriage on May 3, 1853. To this
union three children were born, two of whom survive their father. They
are: W. L. B. Barker, of Hartford, who married Mary E. Ely, by whom he
has two children, Edward Bolles and Clarence Ludlow; and Cora E., who

254 JLuDloto IBatker

is now the wife of W. D. Allen, of Evanston, Illinois, and the mother of one
daughter, an only child, Ruth Barker Allen, a graduate of Vassar, class of
1914. Mr. Barker's third child was Lilla, who died in infancy. Mrs. Barker
died in 1878, and in 1890 Mr. Barker was united in marriage with Paulina
S. Northrop, of Hartford, a daughter of Ezra Graves and Elizabeth
(Mygatt) Northrop, old and respected citizens of that place. Her father,
Mr. Northrop, was one of the early merchants of Hartford and one of those
who helped to set the standards of probity and integrity that have so long
defined the business methods of that city. Mrs. Barker survives her hus-
band and has a fine residence at No. 620 Farmington avenue, Hartford, and
devotes her time almost exclusively to charitable work.

Mr. Barker's death occurred November 21, 1910, and brought to a close
a long life of varied activity and great usefulness. The event cast a gloom
over the whole city for there were few, indeed, who did not recall with afifec-
tion his genial personality and the services for which all felt indebted to him.
As a mark of respect all the music stores in the city closed their doors dur-
ing the funeral services, which were of a most impressive nature. It is more
difficult to gauge the good wrought by a man whose time and attention is
devoted to so intangible a matter as art, than though his eflforts had been
expended in some more concrete and material endeavor. Let us not there-
fore make the mistake of underrating it, however. Who can reckon the
good wrought, even upon themselves, by the subtle influence of music, that
least reducible of all the arts, whose subject matter does not even appear to
be derived from nature, unless, indeed, it be the fundamental rhythms not
directly appreciable to sense. Who can reckon the effect, and yet there are
but few who will not acknowledge its wellnigh overwhelming impulse to
action and life, an impulse as potent as it is inexplicable. So that we can say
with confidence that the career of one who has efifectively labored for this
high purpose is one which leaves the deepest kind of an impression upon all
with whom his work is brought in contact, even though the recipients of his
benefits are themselves unaware of its existence other than at the moment of
receiving it. If it be true, as who can doubt, that the idea is the root of all
action whatsoever, then we cannot value too highly either the art which so
potently stimulates the imagination and all the spiritual faculties, or the
earnest efforts of the men who labor therein. As a factor in the culture of
Hartford Mr. Barker must and does rank high in the estimation of his fellow
citizens.

1

Cljomas ©afees

COUNTRY has but one ruler, whether he be king, emperor
or president. Leaders in miHtary circles, also, are compara-
tively few. But the field of business is limitless and offers
innumerable opportunities for men of laudable ambition,
strong determination and unfaltering diligence. It is a trite
but true saying that there is always room at the top, and
when one has advanced far beyond others who perhaps
started out ahead of him on the highway of life, it is because he has exerted
in superior degree those qualities which constitute the basis of success. This
was the case of the late Thomas Oakes, of Hartford, Connecticut, who
through his own diligence, persistency of purpose, and capable management
became one of the most successful plumbing contractors of the city. His
name, however, was not alone a prominent one in business circles, but in the
military records of the State, and in Masonic circles, in both of which his
influence was beneficially felt.

Thomas Oakes was born in Manchester, England, November 2, 1837,
and died in Hartford, Connecticut, February 24, 1913, as the result of an
attack of pneumonia, from which he had been suffering a few days. Until
that time he had been in excellent health. He was educated in his native
city, where he was also apprenticed to learn the plumber's trade, which he
mastered before leaving England. Enthusiastic in all he undertook, Mr.
Oakes was closely identified with military organizations in his native coun-
try, and served as sergeant in the Lancashire Royal Engineer Volunteers.
Not long after attaining his majority he decided that the New World offered
better opportunities for a young man of ambition and energy, and came to
this country during the progress of the Civil War. He at once proceeded to
Hartford, Connecticut, where he made his home and established himself in
business as a plumbing contractor. The principle underlying the conduct
of his business was strict integrity and reliability, and the success he
achieved is ample testimony to the wisdom of his business methods. He
attained great prominence in the Masonic fraternity, being a member of
Hartford Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ; Pythagoras Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons; Washington Commandery, Knights Templar ; Wolcott Coun-
cil, Royal and Select Masters; Sphinx Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine. He and Mrs. Oakes were members of the Eastern
Star. The family are members of Trinity Episcopal Church, Hartford,
Connecticut.

Not long after taking up his residence in Hartford, Mr. Oakes became
a member of the Connecticut National Guard, serving as color sergeant of
the first company of that body. Later he was a corporal in the First Com-
pany, Governor's Foot Guard. The name of Mr. Oakes is a synonym for
probity, and while undoubtedly he was not without that honorable ambition
which is so powerful and useful as an incentive to activity, in public affairs,
he regarded the pursuits of his private and business life as being in them-

256 Cftomag fl)akes

selves abundantly worthy of his best efforts. The funeral of Mr. Oakes
took place from his home, No. 124 Huntington street, the various bodies
w^ith which he had affiliated attending, and every organization, and numer-
ous business firms with which he had been connected, sent beautiful floral
contributions. He was interred in the family plot at Cedar Hill Cemetery.
Mr. Oakes married, in 1868, Mary Ella Davis, daughter of Thomas
Davis. She is also a native of Manchester, England. She survives him with
their children: Mrs. Charles Yates, Mrs. R. T. Seymour, Mrs. R. W. Pen-
field, Mrs. W. S. Morris, Mrs. W. M. Corkins, T.' Edward, J. Albert, and
William E. Oakes, all of Hartford. Robert B. Oakes died December 25,
1906, aged twenty-four years; he was a member of the class of 1907, Pratt
Institute, Brooklyn; would have graduated in June, 1907, but died on
Christmas Day, 1906; he was born in Hartford, Connecticut, April 15, 1882;
he was the youngest of the nine children; was a member of Hartford Lodge
of Masons.

E0llm iauttJ lalbuitn

SRoIIin Babili ilaltitDin

'HIS is a success worshiping- age. It is the men of deeds and
accomplishment that we delight in honoring. We demand
success, and, as though in response, we have a progress in
all the departments of material achievement such as the
world has never before witnessed. Perhaps the most char-
acteristic of all the achievements of the day is that in the
line of industrial and commercial development and it is the
leaders of activity in this direction that are our choicest heroes. Among the
important merchants of Hartford, Connecticut, of the generation just
passed, the name of Rollin David Baldwin is conspicuous, as much for the
high principles he observed in the conduct of his business as for the success
that attended it. His death on March 2, 1905, removed from Hartford one
who in the fullest sense of the term was a progressive, virile, self-made
American citizen, thoroughly in harmony with the spirit of this modern
age. and who, in compassing his own success, performed a corresponding
service for the community of which he was a member.

The Baldwin family coat-of-arms is thus described: Argent: A saltire
sable. Crest: On a mount vert, a cockatrice argent combed, wattled and
beaded or, ducally gorged and lined of the last.

Rollin David Baldwin was a scion of fine old New England stock, his
ancestors for a number of generations back having been fine examples of
the hardy and intelligent farming people of the region. He was born July
19, 1848, on a farm which had been the possession of his paternal grand-
mother's family for many years, situated near Sandersfield, Berkshire
county, Massachusetts, a son of Darwin Jason and Lorinda (Mills) Baldwin.
Mr. Baldwin, Sr., was born on the same farm as was his son and lived all his
life there, successfully operating the farm which became his by inheritance.
His wife was a native of Connecticut and bore her husband three children:
Frederick, deceased; Mary, now Mrs. Dallas J. Persons, of Winsted, Con-
necticut; and Rollin David.

Among these wholesome but rural surroundings Rollin David Baldwin
grew up, attending the local district school for his education, and later re-
ceiving a year's instruction at the South Berkshire Institute in New Marl-
borough, Massachusetts. After completing his studies he returned to his
father's farm and took up his father's occupation, following it there until he
was twenty-seven years of age. On November 15, 1875, however, he left
the old place for good, and having saved up a considerable sum of money,
went to Colebrook River, Connecticut, where he entered into partnership
with George S. Ives, the owner of a general store in that place. He con-
tinued in this association for a period of fifteen years, the business being in
a highly flourishing state in the meantime, and there gained experience and
a large amount of technical knowledge of business methods and practice.
The same enterprise and ambition which had induced him to abandon farm-

CONN-Vol in-17

258 mollin DatiiD ^alDtoin

ing and engaged in a mercantile pursuit, urged him still further, however,
and in January, 1890, he sold out his interest in the Colebrook River busi-
ness to a Mr. Leander Cotton, and removed to Hartford, w^here he believed
a larger field of opportunity awaited him. In this he was not deceived, for
he had been in that city but two weeks before he secured a position as travel-
ling salesman with the E. S. Kibby Company, dealers in wholesale groceries
on a large scale. In this capacity he was eminently successful, yet he con-
tinued therein but ten months, when he received and accepted an offer to
become the partner of Edward Persons, of Winsted, Connecticut, in the lat-
ter's grocery and dry goods business there. For three years this connection
continued and then the two partners separated, Mr. Baldwin taking the
grocery business, and Mr. Persons the dry goods, each as his share. In the
year 1897 Mr. Baldwin returned to Hartford, having received an offer from
the E. S. Kibby Company of a partnership in the concern, together with the
office of secretary. This offer he accepted and at once took up his new
duties, retaining the position until his death. The business of the Kibby
concern was very large and still further increased during his connection with
it. He became widely known in commercial circles throughout the city and
was regarded as one of the most substantial and influential business men of
Hartford.

From early youth Mr. Baldwin took a keen interest in the conduct of
public affairs. He was the possessor of a keen and original mind, and did a
great deal of thinking for himself on political questions. He was an adher-
ent to the principles and policies of the Democratic party. His moving from
place to place, with a comparatively short residence in any one locality,
militated against his achieving the high position he was undoubtedly worthy
of in politics, but with even this handicap he gained a considerable distinc-
tion in the ranks of the Democratic party in Connecticut. Wherever he hap-
pened to be dwelling he allied himself with the local organization and
quickly proved himself possessed of the qualities of a leader. While a resi-
dent of Colebrook, he became very prominent in local affairs, and was elected
and reelected selectman of the place until he had served in this capacity for
a term of eight years. He was finally sent as a representative to the State
Legislature from Colebrook, and served most efficiently on that body during
the year 1885. He was also selectman in Winsted for a year. Mr. Baldwin
was a conspicuous figure in social circles in the various places where he
lived, and was particularly prominent as a member of the Masonic fraternity,
in which he had taken the thirty-second degree, and was also a Knights
Templar. He was a member of many of the divisions of the order, including
Pyramid Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Bridgeport.

Mr. Baldwin married, May i, 1870, Ellen J. Murphy, a native of Cole-
brook, Connecticut, and a daughter of John and Augusta (Baxter) Murphy,
of that place. Mr. Murphy's family was a prominent one in Rhode Island
for many years, though he himself was born in New York State, a son of
Eben and Lois (Manchester) Murphy. His maternal grandfather was dis-
tinguished as a soldier in the Revolution. Mrs. Murphy was born in Cole-
brook, and there she and her husband lived after their marriage. To Mr.
and Mrs. Baldwin were born three children, as follows: Jennie Augusta,

1

RoIIin DatiiD IBalDtoin 259

now Mrs. H. Elbert Moffat, of Hartford; John Darwin, who married Miss
Lena M. Smith, and now, with his wife and one child, Rollin Smith, resides
in Winsted, Connecticut ; and Grove Baxter, now a resident of Hartford,
where he married Edna Belle Scoville, who has borne him two children,
Richard Scoville and Alice Martha.

Mr. Baldwin was one of those forceful personalities whose initiative
lead them normally to assume and to be accorded the place of leaders among
their fellows. Perhaps the chief element in this kind of success is a kind of
mental force which causes one to hold his ideas with enthusiasm. With Mr.
Baldwin this was markedly the case. Not only were his ideas powerful
intrinsically, but his maintenance of them was of a kind to impress those
about him and cause them instinctively to defer their opinions to his. It
was this quality which made him so quickly assume a position of influ-
ence in all of the many places which he called his home, and in all of the
many activities that he took up. Of course there was something else beneath
this that insured, as it were, his success. No man, however powerful his
personality, can retain his hold of success and influence without a founda-
tion of those sterling virtues that are so conspicuous in the hardy stock
from which Mr. Baldwin descended. Honesty, perseverence, self-control,
must all be present or men will not brook to be led. But all these traits of
character Mr. Baldwin possessed in full measure, as well as many other
qualities of manner and bearing which, if not so fundamental, at least con-
tributed potently to the general effect which his personality produced.
Altogether he was a man of parts, well calculated to exert a potent influence
upon all with whom he came in contact, and whose death was a serious loss
to the great circle of friends and associates which he had formed, as well as
to the community at large. He was buried with the Masonic ritual in Win-
sted, Connecticut.

%mim C})arles i|ump})rep

UCIUS CHARLES HUMPHREY was a native of Pennsyl-
vania, and a scion of an old and highly-honored family of
that State, but practically his entire life w^as spent in Connec-
ticut, where he became closely identified with the business
interests of Unionville, Hartford county, and was otherwise
prominent in the affairs of the community, so that his death
on December 6, 1912, at the age of sixty-two years, was felt
as a loss by the entire town. Mr. Humphrey's parents were Eucius and
Emeline (Judd) Humphrey, of Orwell, a town of Bradford county, Penn-
sylvania, where he was a successful farmer, but they were former residents
of Connecticut.

Lucius Charles Humphrey was born in Orwell, Pennsylvania, July 7,
1850, and passed the early years of his childhood there on his father's farm,
attending the local schools, and laying that fine foundation of health and
wholesome living which may be gained from no other source as easily as
from a youth spent in such rural environment and occupation. While he
was a lad in "his teens" his father moved back to Connecticut, settling at
first in Avon, where he purchased a farm. He did not remain a great while
in that neighborhood, however, but went on to Unionville, where he resumed
his agricultural occupations and the lad his schooling. Upon the completion
of his studies, Lucius C. Humphrey found speedy employment in the town
of Unionville with the Upson Nut Company, and remained associated with
that firm for the remainder of his life. His mind was an alert one, and he
quickly made himself master of the details of the business and gave such
satisfaction to his employers with his work that his promotion was rapid,
and he became in due course of time one of the foremen of the concern. In
this position he remained twenty years, retiring therefrom only one year
before his death.

He was also keenly interested in politics, both in a general sense and in
the conduct of local public affairs. He was a staunch Republican in his prin-
ciples and joined the town organization of that party, of which he grew to
be a prominent and active member. He was register of voters for many
years, up to the time of his death. He was given the Republican nomination
for the State Legislature in the year 1882, and was duly elected to that body
to represent the town of Farmington, serving thereon for one session, two
years. One of the local matters in which Mr. Humphrey took a great
interest was the fire department. From the organization of the Tunxis Fire
Department, he was the foreman and served as such until his death, and
gave devoted service to the interests of the company, working hard to ad-
vance it in all ways possible. The department showed the appreciation that
it felt by making him a very handsome gift of a silver loving cup in 1908.
Mr. Humphrey was a very prominent figure in the social world, and a very
active member of many clubs and organizations in the neighborhood.
Among these may be mentioned the Masonic order and the Knights of

iCurtuB (Eltarba ii|umpl|rfy.

Luciu0 Cftarles IDumpfttep 261

Pythias, to the local lodges of both of which he belonged. His religious
affiliations were with the Congregational church and he was a member for
many years of the First Church of Christ of that denomination.

It was through his business associations that Mr. Humphrey first made
the acquaintance of the young lady to whom he was afterwards married.
The Upson Nut Companj^ with which he was connected for so many years,
was originally founded by Dwight Langden, and afterwards passed into the
control of Andrew Upson, who was president of the concern at the time Mr.
Humphrey was foreman. Mr. Upson was the brother of Mrs. Langden and
when that lady, after the death of her first husband, was married to Samuel
Frisbee, the latter was made treasurer and secretary of the company, and
held that position while Mr. Humphrey was connected with it. One of the
daughters of Seth Upson, Emma A. Upson, was married to George H.
Fuller, a prosperous farmer and wood-turner of Unionville, Connecticut,
and a veteran of the Civil War in which he had distinguished himself as
lieutenant in Company D, Sixteenth Regiment Connecticut Volunteer In-
fantry. It was to a granddaughter of Seth Upson, Ella Georgia Fuller, and
a daughter of George H. and Emma A. (Upson) Fuller, that Mr. Humphrey
was married September 30, 1875. Mrs. Humphrey is a native of Unionville
and has passed her entire life in that town. She survives her husband,
together with two of their four children, who are also residents of Union-
ville. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey were as follows: Harry
D., who died as a young man of twenty-three years; Clayton W., who mar-
ried Anna Pelitier, of Unionville; Lucius E., who married Georgia E. Taft,
of Unionville; and Wilfred K., who died when but nineteen years of age.

Mr. Humphrey was a man of high ideals to which he adhered with an
unusual degree of faithfulness in the conduct of his life, and might well be
pointed out as a model of good citizenship. In all the relations of life he
displayed those cardinal virtues that have come to be associated with the
best type of New England character, an uncompromising idealism united
with a most practical sense of worldly affairs. His success was of that quiet
kind which integrity and just dealing with one's fellow men is sure to bring
when coupled with ability such as his, a success of the permanent type which
the years increase and render more secure because it rests on the firm foun-
dation of the trust and confidence of the community. In his career as public
servant he showed himself without any personal ambition and actuated
with no desire other than to further the advantage of the community, and to
strengthen his party wherever that did not conflict with the public weal.
His private virtues were not less remarkable than his public, and the deep
affection with which his family and intimate friends regarded him is the best
tribute which can be paid to the strength and sincerity of his domestic in-
stincts. He was the most devoted of husbands and parents, ever seeking
the happiness of those about him, and the most faithful friend, winning by
his charming personality a host of intimates who repaid his fidelity in like
kind. The community at large has felt the wholesome and inspiriting effect
of his example and it will be long before its members cease to miss the kindly
and genial influence which surrounded him and bettered those with whom he
came in contact.

©rbtlle 3|tttI)totfe ^latt

N a time when political and governmental corruption has be-
come a byword and the term politician a reproach it is re-
freshing, indeed, to turn to the record of such a man as Sen-
ator Orville Hitchcock Piatt, of Connecticut, a record un-
sullied by the smallest lapse in the faithful discharge of his
high duties, by any indirectness or intrigue, or by the plausi-
ble setting up of political expediency in the place of the pub-
lic interest, a record marked by faithful service and faithful devotion to prin-
ciple. Senator Piatt was the scion of a very old and illustrious family which,
even before its early advent in the country, was already prominent in the
affairs of the Old World. As early as 1326 a Piatt was accorded a coat-of-
arms in England and several branches of the family received this mark of
distinction between that time and the reign of Elizabeth. It is in America,
however, that the name has won the brightest lustre where, ever since its
founding here by Deacon Richard Piatt prior to 1638, the men who have
borne it have proved themselves of sturdy patriotism, holders of the beliefs
and doers of the deeds that finally made this a free and independent Nation.
Two of the Platts, one a direct ancestor of Senator Piatt, were imprisoned
by Governor Andros of New York on account of their sturdy independence,
and his grandfather fought in the Revolutionary War, and was one of those
to suffer on the terrible prison ships in New York harbor. The Platts as a
general thing followed farming throughout their long residence in New
England and the father of Senator Piatt was engaged in this occupation all
his life at Washington, Connecticut. He was a man of parts and in addition
to his farming was active in the affairs of his community, serving as deputy
sheriff of the county and judge of probate, and at times exhibiting the versa-
tility of his talents by teaching school. He was married to Almyra Hitch-
cock in 1817 and Orville Hitchcock Piatt was the second son and child of this
union.

Orville Hitchcock Piatt was born July 19, 1827, in the town of Wash-
ington, Connecticut. He received the training common to the sons of farm-
ers in that day, namely, his winters spent in school and his summers at work
on his father's acres. It was a hard life, but it bred a stalwart race. He
first attended the local public schools, but later went to the academy in his
home town, where he came in contact with a remarkable personality and
one that was destined to have a strong and beneficent influence upon his
own development. This personality was that of Frederick W. Gunn, the
principal of the academy, from whom it derived the name of "The Gun-
nery," and by which it has since been known far and wide. Frederick W.
Gunn was a man of great mental strength and rare individuality. He was
greatly beloved and honored by his pupils, and he did much to train them
into the simple, straightforward manhood that was his ideal, and which he,
himself, so well exemplified. Mr. Piatt was at the impressionable age of
thirteen when he first attended Mr. Gunn's school, which then was situated

(hvUO. ii~.M.at=:r

ffl)rtiillg lDitc|)coc& piatt 263

at Judea, Connecticut, and for a number of years thereafter came into the
closest association with him both in the school and in his family life. Mr.
Gunn was one of eight children, all of whom became prominently connected
with the Abolitionist movement, so that his pupils diminished greatly in
number and at one time were reduced to nine, all the children of Abolition-
ists, so that he was forced to move his school to smaller quarters, locating
on the site of the present "Gunnery." During this time Mr. Piatt lived in the
home of Mr. Gunn in the winter and after the second year of the school in
its new location acted as an assistant instructor. Later Mr. Gunn was
chosen principal of a large school in Towanda and persuaded Mr. Piatt, to
whom he was deeply attached, to accompany him as his assistant. These
years of strong devotion to a character of such a splendid type were happy
ones for the young man and valuable also, his character forming under these
fortunate circumstances, for there are but few things that affect a young
man's life more strongly than such a period of hero-worship if it be centered
upon a worthy object. How strong were his feelings may be seen in the
article penned by him for a memorial volume brought out in honor of Mr.
Gunn shortly after his death, in which he states that, "He was more to me
than a teacher; my love for him was the love one has for father, brother
and friend." At length, however, this ideal association had to be broken to
a large extent, Mr. Piatt's choice of a profession being the law, which
claimed the major part of his time and energies. He was twenty years of
age when he took up reading law in the office of Hon. Gideon H. Hollister,
of Litchfield, Connecticut, profiting greatly under the preceptorship of this
able attorney. He was admitted to the bar in Litchfield county, and after-
wards in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, returning to the town of Towanda,
where he began his active practice in the office of Hon. Ulysses Mercur,
afterwards of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. In 1851 he returned to
Connecticut and established himself in the practice of his profession at
Meriden, which also was his legal residence, notwithstanding that he always
looked upon Washington as one of his homes.

The age was a stirring one in American affairs upon which Mr. Piatt's
youth had fallen, and less sensitive spirits than his were strongly affected
by the problems that demanded solution of that generation. Mr. Piatt felt
keenly the momentous character of these problems and how greatly their
solution might affect the future of the country, and with the generous ardor
of youth he threw himself into the work of solution. His first direct effort
in this direction was shortly after his coming to Meriden, when he became
associate editor of "The Whig," a local paper given to the candid discussion
of public issues and which continued for a period of some three years an in-
fluence in the community. These three years were of value to Mr. Piatt as a
training in the art of expression and in bringing- him into contact with men of
all kinds and the world of affairs. He did not abandon his practice of the law
during this time, however, although at first this was no arduous task, the
difficulties that usually attach to the working up of a legal practice by no
means sparing him. He was gradually gaining a name as a young man of
originality and parts, however, and in 1853 found himself a candidate for
judge of probate and was duly elected, serving three years. Work and re-

264 ©rtJille ©itcftcock piatt

sponsibilities began to pile up now, but he proved himself amply capable of
taking care of them and his reputation grew both in degree and extension.
In 1855 he received the appointment to the clerkship of the Connecticut
State Senate and served in that capacity. The great crisis in politics which
was finally to become sectional and express itself in the terrible Civil War
was now becoming definite and the year 1858 was marked by the forma-
tion of the Republican party, destined to play so great a part in the fortunes
of the country. Mr. Piatt was one of the original members of the new politi-
cal birth, and from that time until his death continued a staunch supporter
of its principles and policies. His political career now took a great step for-
ward, and with his election to the office of Secretary of State for Connecti-
cut, he became a factor to be reckoned with in public affairs. He was already
recognized at this early day as a man who could not be bought or influenced
by any personal consideration in the discharge of his public duties, and this
firm honor, a quality in high demand with new parties, quite as much as his
marked ability, won him his election as State Senator in 1861. He served
during that term and in 1864 was elected to the State Assembly. In this
body he was made chairman of the judiciary committee, a post that carried
with it the acknowledged leadership of the party in the House. It was a
time of the gravest responsibilities, with the Civil War at its height and the
most violent feelings existing between, not only the parties, but even be-
tween the factions of the same. But it was no common leader that the
Republican members of the Connecticut House had in this young man for
whom they conceived an increasing respect. One interesting contest at this
time in which Mr. Piatt took a decisive part was that connected with the
proposition that the soldiers in the field be permitted to vote. A constitu-
tional amendment was required for this, which in its turn required a two-
thirds vote in the House. After a close debate the vote was taken and re-
sulted in the two-thirds necessary for affirmation, but an obstacle still stood
in their way. A number of representatives were absent and the speaker
ruled that a two-thirds vote of those present was not sufficient, the constitu-
tional rule applying to the whole House in his contention. From this Mr.
Piatt appealed and eventually won his point and that of his party, and
opened the way to casting the ballot for the soldiers engaged in actively
defending their State and the Union. Mr. Piatt next held an important
public office in 1869, when he was again elected to the Assembly and then
chosen Speaker of the House. In this new capacity he displayed the qual-
ities that had already placed him so high in the regard of his fellows, and
under his firm and skillful guidance the Legislature transacted a very large
volume of important business in a manner greatly to the advantage of the
community at large. His party associates were full)' aware of how strong
a candidate Mr. Piatt would make for wellnigh any office and were keenly
alive to the desirability of his continuance in politics, but at the close of this
term in the Legislature he found it desirable to withdraw temporarily.

During the years that had passed he had given a very large percentage
of his time to the public business and that in spite of the fact that his own
legal practice was growing greatly in proportions. His reputation as a
lawyer had of course some effect upon the course of his political career, but

ffi)rtiillc l^itcbcocb piatt 265

perhaps the converse was even more true that his political career was a large
factor in the increase of the practice. However this may be, the latter had
developed so much that it was necessary to give it his undivided attention for
a time and he was obliged to disregard the strong pressure brought to bear
upon him and retired into private life. Of course the life of a prominent
lawyer is in any case but semi-private and Mr. Piatt continued to come into
contact with affairs to a certain extent. A great deal of very important
litigation was entrusted to him at this epoch and the masterly manner in
which he handled it but added fresh laurels to his name. He possessed many
of the qualities associated with the ideal jurist, a clear and concise reason
that enabled him to pick out the essential fact from amidst a mass of detail,
great erudition in his subject and the capacity for long and close study
which he bestowed on every case. For eight years he continued to give his
undivided attention to his practice and established himself as one of the
leaders of the State bar, but in 1877 he accepted the appointment of State's
Attorney for New Haven county and thus once more entered the stormy
arena of politics and public affairs. This office was but the entering wedge,
as it were, for two years later he was launched into the very thick of the
matter by his election to the United States Senate. A Republican himself
he succeeded Senator W. H. Barnum, a Democrat, but from that time on-
ward until his death he continued to hold this high office, his term being
renewed at each successive election. There have been few periods in which
the elements in national life struggling for control have been more varied
and complex than during our recent political era, few periods in which sel-
fish strife and interested motives have played a greater part in the conduct
of affairs. Among these conflicting cross currents of purpose and action,
the figure of Mr. Piatt, actuated by no thought of self but the most imper-
sonal desire to witness the right, rose conspicuously, winning for itself the
spontaneous admiration of all worthy men whether political friends or
opponents. Mr. Piatt spoke truly when he said during the course of a speech
made at a reception in his honor shortly after his first election as Senator:
"That which is right is priceless to me; and all the campaigns and achieve-
ments of the Republican party in which I have participated I have never
steered a middle course, but have done what I thought right."

As time went on Senator Piatt grew to hold a more and more prominent
place in the deliberations of the august body of which he was a member,
and his voice to gain greater and greater weight with his confreres. This is
well shown by the very prominent part that he played in the important legis-
lation of the period and the various committees upon which he served. It
would be impossible to treat adequately the part played by him in the event-
ful years comprised in the last two decades of the century just passed and the
opening of the present one, for to do so would necessitate a resume of the
legislation enacted in that period and the compass of a large volume. But
the mere enumeration of the more important issues in the decision of which
he was active will show him to have been beyond question one of the most
conspicuous figures of that epoch. In all such issues none ever questioned
his integrity of motive and his judgment was equally unquestioned. One
of the first of these great issues was that of international copyright (to

266 flOrtiille l^itcbcock piatt

establish the right to brain property). A long and vigorous campaign had
been waged by a group of right-minded men to promote this obviously
righteous measure, yet so great was the opposition from certain corrupt
sources and so great the indifference on the part of most men that their
efforts had seemed almost unavailing. The question, however, was very
prominent in Congress and the final passage of a bill making possible the
copyright bill, which gives the exclusive right of any author in his literary
work, was due in a very large measure to his unwearied and able efiforts.
The patent question, adequate protection of our wards, the Indians, cur-
rency and financial matters, the protection of American industries by tariflf
regulations, were also among the issues upon which he spoke with no uncer-
tain voice and in which his influence was felt most potently. One of the
greatest services rendered by him to the country, however, was through his
action in the tangled problems arising out of our war with Spain and in-
volving the matter of our right to acquire territory and our attitude towards
colonies and dependent peoples. Especially was his attitude towards Cuba
notable for its courage and disinterestedness and culminated in the cele-
brated Piatt amendment, which became a law on the second of March, 1901,
and provided the basis of the future relations of this country and the youth-
ful republic that our efiforts had created. His services as chairman of the
committee on Cuban relations were followed by others of a no less notable
kind. In the issue between labor and capital that was disturbing the coun-
try, and, indeed, still is, he played an important part and as chairman of the
judiciary committee in the Fifty-eighth Congress, the value of his work can
hardly be overestimated. This Congress had a comparatively brief term,
but the business before it was enormous in volume and extremely vital in
character, and this fact, together with the very serious apprehension and
anxiety felt by Senator Piatt concerning the radical tendencies then making
themselves felt, exercised a deteriorating efifect upon his health from which
he never entirely recovered. The great mental concentration and the gen-
eral demands made upon his energies by this session used up his nerve force
too rapidly and this efifect was brought to a climax by the impeachment of
Judge Swayne, of Florida, by the House of Representatives. Already with
more work on their hands than they could conveniently dispose of, the mem-
bers of the Senate were obliged to sit as a high court upon the impeachment
proceedings. Senator Frye, the president pro tempore, was ill at the time
and unable to preside at the trial and this most trying duty devolved upon
the shoulders of Mr. Piatt as chairman of the judiciary committee. The
latter might with equal reason have pleaded the same excuse, but his ex-
ceedingly keen sense of duty made him go through with the ordeal, although
throughout the time he was battling with the sheer force of his will with a
growing malady. He was able to complete his task, however, and further-
more to finish his share of the business which wellnigh crushed him and his
colleagues before the inauguration of the new administration on March 4.
While Mr. Piatt feared the growing force of certain radical tendencies,
he was very far from a reactionist in his beliefs and was a strong supporter
of the more progressive element in his party as represented by Theodore
Roosevelt, and during the administration of Mr. Roosevelt as President,

apttiille ^itcbcocfe piatt 267

strongly supported his policies. Charles Henry Butler, reporter of the
United States Supreme Court, had arranged to give Mr. Piatt a dinner on
March i8, 1905, in honor of his completion of twenty-six years of continu-
ous service as Senator, but this w^as frustrated by the death of General Haw-
ley, the junior Senator from Connecticut. The invitations were withdrawn,
but those who were bidden wrote letters of appreciation to the guest of
honor, of which that of President Roosevelt, whose second term had just
begun, is typical. President Roosevelt's letter ran as follows: "My dear
Mr. Butler: May I, through you, extend my heartiest greetings to the guest
of the evening. Senator O. H. Piatt? It is difficult to say what I really think
of Senator Piatt without seeming to use extravagant expression. I do not
know a man in public life who is more loved and honored, or who has done
more substantial and disinterested service to the country. It makes one feel
really proud as an American, to have such a man occupying such a place in
the councils of the Nation. As for me personally, I have now been asso-
ciated with him intimately during four sessions of Congress, and I cannot
overstate my obligations to him, not only for what he has done by speech
and vote, but because it gives me heart and strength to see and consult with
so fearless, high-minded, practicable, and far-sighted a public servant.
Wishing you a most pleasant evening, believe me. sincerely yours, Theodore
Roosevelt." It was at the funeral of General Hawley, which Senator Piatt
attended shortly after, and at which he was obliged to stand hatless a long
time in the blustering March weather, that he brought his illness to an
active state from which he never recovered, and about a month later his
own death occurred on Good Friday, April 21, 1905.

Senator Piatt was twice married, the first time on May 15, 1850, to
Annie Bull, of Towanda, Pennsylvania, the only daughter of James Perry and
Ann (Wallis) Bull, of that place. To them were born two children: James
Perry, who in 1902 was appointed a justice of the United States District
Court, died January 26, 1913 ; and Daniel Gould, deceased in childhood. The
first Mrs. Piatt died in November, 1893, and on April 29, 1897, Mr. Piatt was
married to Mrs. Jeannie Penniman Hoyt, widow of George A. Hoyt, of
Stamford, Connecticut, and daughter of Hon. Truman Smith, United States
Senator from Connecticut. Mrs. Piatt survives her husband and still resides
at Washington, Connecticut, the birthplace and home of Senator Piatt for
so many years.

It is out of the question to deal adequately with a personality at once so
large and so many-sided as that of Senator Piatt. The sterling honor and
integrity which formed the very basis of it has been indicated to some extent
in the foregoing account, but what has not and cannot be given is the efifect
produced upon all who associated with him by the character as a whole.
Honest and sincere he was primarily, but he was also a man of the broadest
charity and tolerance, kindly and responsive and full of ready sympathy for
those who stood in need. One of his most strongly marked traits was his
fondness for nature and out-of-door life, and this was a great asset to him
throughout his whole career. He spent a considerable portion of the sum-
mer each year in the Adirondacks, living in the open air, fishing, hunting
and blazing trails. He was a skillful fisherman and would often be gone for

268 mmm j^itcftcocb piatt

a whole day from camp following his favorite streams, yet it was said of him
that it was more the delight of the woods through which he must wander
and the sense of freedom and primitive life that lured him than the sport
itself. There is little doubt that these wholesome, quiet summers were the
cause of his being able to endure for so many years the tremendous strain
of his work in Congress. An intelligent and witty conversationalist, a man
of great culture and of wide reading, he was, as a matter of course, a delight-
ful companion and his personal friends valued most highly the privilege of
their intimate association with him. In spite of the immense amount of time
and effort he was obliged to spend in the public service, he contrived to find
time and occasion for intercourse with family and friends, occasions which
he enjoyed more than aught else. He was an author of ability and learning
on historical and archaeological subjects and the study of these in connection
with his home State was a favorite recreation. Of a deeply religious nature,
the influence that he exercised in the community worked for good and he
will long remain in the memory of his fellow citizens as a model of good
citizenship and sterling manhood.

WtUiam lilaltio Uplie

EYOND argument one of the foremost men of the Connecti-
cut bar, Mr. Hyde in ability and achievement was compara-
ble with the best lawyers of any period of the State's history.
A keen intellect allied with the judicial temperament, force
of character and poise of judgment produced the able law-
yer, a charming personality won him warm friendships,
while his courage, independence and public spirit won the
respect and confidence that gave his leadership force. His vision rose above
the needs and aspirations of his home city, Hartford, though they never
ceased to concern his great heart, and in a large sense and wholly through
his own impressive personality belonged to the State. In all gatherings of
men, large or small, which had the good fortune to number him among
them, his force, poise and quality were instinctively felt. He did not have
to argue himself into the good graces of men, his mental and emotional
attitude being convincing of themselves where his conclusions did not
always win the sympathy of his hearers. One knew that he was striking at
what he believed to be the truth, and the idea of his ever faltering in the line
of conduct he had adopted for his guidance was never expressed.

Few men have ever so succeeded in winning the affection of a commun-
ity, an affection that came not because he sought for popularity but because
it was his due. He never sought office nor did he ever shirk a public duty,
and no man was more independent in forming opinions or more ready in
expressing them. He was incapable of currying favor, his warm heart, his
genial, sympathetic disposition, his public spirit, combined to win that favor.
Great as was his legal attainment, great as was his public service, they pale
before the fact that men loved him and that :

None knew him but to love him,
None named him, but to praise.

Mr. Hyde traced his paternal ancestry in America to William Hyde,
born in England, one of the founders of Hartford, also of Norwich, Con-
necticut, a gentleman of wealth and importance. The line of descent is
through Samuel Hyde, the only son of William Hyde, born 1637, died 1677,
a leading citizen of Norwich West Farms. He married Jane Lee. Thomas
Hyde, son of Samuel Hyde, born July, 1672, died April 9, 1755; married
Mary Backus. Their son. Captain Jacob Hyde, born January 20, 1703, mar-
ried Hannah Kingsbury, who bore him Ephraim Hyde, born April 23, 1734.
He married Martha Giddings. Their son, Nathaniel Hyde, was born at
Stafford, Connecticut, March 7, 1757, and was an iron founder. His first
wife, Sarah (Strong) Hyde, bore him a son, Alvan Hyde, who succeeded his
father in business and was for many years an iron manufacturer of Stafford.
He married Sarah Pinney, whose second child, Alvan Pinney Hyde, mar-
ried, September 12, 1849, Frances Elizabeth Waldo, daughter of Judge
Loren P. Waldo, with whom his son-in-law was associated in legal practice.

270 milliam malDo l^gPe

Their eldest son was William Waldo Hyde, to whose memory this tribute of
respect is dedicated.

The Waldo ancestry traces in America to Cornelius Waldo, first men-
tioned in Salem, Massachusetts, records, July 6, 1647. He married Hannah,
daughter of John Cogswell, who came from England on the ship "Angel
Gabriel." Their son, John Waldo, a soldier of King Philip's War, married
Rebecca Adams. Their son, Edward Waldo, teacher, farmer, deacon, deputy
and lieutenant, built a house in that part of Windham, now Scotland, about
1714. that is yet standing occupied by a descendant. He married (first)
Thankful Dimmock. Their son, Edward (2) Waldo, married Abigail Elder-
kin. Their son, Zachariah Waldo, an eminent citizen, was a soldier of the
Revolution from Canterbury. Zachariah Waldo married (first) Elizabeth
Wright. Their son, Ebenezer Waldo, born in Canterbury, died in Tolland,
Connecticut, a man of prominence. He married Cynthia Parish. Their son,
Loren Pinckney Waldo, born February 2, 1802, died 1881, became one of
the leading lawyers of Connecticut, filled many offices in State and Nation,
member of Thirt3'-first Congress, judge of the Superior Court of Connecti-
cut, one of the leading Democrats of his day. He married Frances Elizabeth
Eldridge, a granddaughter of Charles Eldridge, severely wounded in the
massacre at Fort Griswold, and of Captain Elijah Avery, killed in the same
massacre. Their daughter, Frances Elizabeth Waldo, married, September
12, 1849, Alvan Pinney Hyde. Their son was William Waldo Hyde.

From such distinguished paternal and maternal ancestry came William
Waldo Hyde, who was born in Tolland, Connecticut, March 25, 1854, died in
Hartford, at the Charter Oak Hospital, Saturday, October 30, 191 5. When
he was ten years of age his parents removed to Hartford, where in connection
with Judge Loren P. Waldo and Governor Richard D. Hubbard, Alvan P.
Hyde became a member of one of the leading law firms of the State, Waldo,
Hubbard & Hyde. Until 1872 William Waldo Hyde attended the public
schools of Hartford, finishing with the high school, graduating class of 1872.
He then entered Yale University, whence he was graduated with the Bach-
elor's degree, class of 1876, a class distinguished in the quality of its mem-
bers. Among his classmates was Arthur Twining Hadley, president of
Yale; Otto T. Bannard and General Theodore A. Bingham, of New York;
Dr. E. J. McKnight, of Hartford; and Elmer P. Howe, the widely known
Boston lawyer.

Logically, William Waldo Hyde was destined to become a lawyer,
heredity and environment almost compelling that profession. Fortunately
his personal inclinations agreed with the logical view, and after two years
study under his honored father and a year at Boston University Law School
he was in 1878 admitted to the Connecticut bar at Hartford. His first ex-
perience in law practice was as clerk in the ofiice of Waldo, Hubbard &
Hyde. At Judge Waldo's death in 1881 the firm reorganized as Hubbard,
Hyde & Gross, the partners being Governor Hubbard, Alvan P. Hyde and
Charles E. Gross, but later William Waldo Hyde and Frank E. Hyde were
admitted. On Governor Hubbard's death the four remaining partners re-
organized as Hyde, Gross & Hyde. When the death of Alvan P. Hyde again
disrupted the firm, Charles E. Gross, William Waldo Hyde and Arthur L.

mUUnm ^alDo I^pDe 271

Shipman formed the firm Gross, Hyde & Shipman. Later Charles Welles
Gross, a son of the senior partner, and Alvan Waldo Hyde, a son of William
Waldo Hyde, were admitted to partnership.

Mr. Hyde was identified with much important litigation in the State and
Federal courts, appearing before State and United States Supreme Courts
in cases of unusual importance involving momentous issues. For twenty-
five years he was general counsel of the board of water commissioners and
was the leader in the passage of the special act of general assembly, legal-
izing the acquisition of the Nepaug property. From April, 1910. to May,
1912, he was corporation counsel, and in March, 1914, was appointed by
Mayor Cheney a member of the city charter revision committee, and to
present the revised charter to the General Assembly of 191 5. His last ap-
pearance in the Supreme Court was early in the month of October, 191 5,
when he argued the case of the Hartford board of water commissioners
against property owners, on defendant's appeal from a decision by Judge
Case, of the Superior Court. Another important work of his last two years
was as trustee of the Connecticut Company, appointed with four others to
take over that company. To this work he brought wide experience and
ripened judgment that rendered him a most valuable addition to the board.
He declined many offers of financial trust, devoting himself to his large
and weighty practice, though always responding to every call to the public
service.

From 1885 to 1899 he was actively identified with civic affairs other
than legal. From 1885 to 1891 he was a member of the board of school
visitors, and acting school visitor, or superintendent of schools during that
period. In that capacity he labored earnestly to bring the schools to a
higher plane of efficiency, a work in which he succeeded. From 1888 to 1891
he was a member of the board of street commissioners, also from 1897 to
1899, and president of the board in 1890, 1891 and 1899 In 1895 and 1896
he was a member of the board of health.

A Democrat in politics, Mr. Hyde in 1892 as candidate for mayor carried
Hartford for the Democracy for the first time in a decade in an important
city election. He had as an opponent on the Republican ticket General
Henry C. Dwight, who polled three thousand eight hundred and twenty-
eight votes against Mr. Hyde's four thousand six hundred and seven. He is
yet spoken of as "one of the best mayors Hartford ever had."

Neither legal life, to which he brought an inherited and personal love,
nor public life, which he met as a duty of good citizenship, filled the measure
of his activity. He was a trustee of the Connecticut Hospital for the Insane
and a director of the Dime Savings Bank. As a member of the .South Con-
gregational Church he met the responsibilities of a churchman as he met
every other obligation of life. In social intercourse he met his fellow-men
in club, fraternity and society and with them pursued the highest objects
of each. His clubs were the Hartford, Hartford Golf, Country. University
(New York), Yale (New York), Graduates (New Haven), and Nayasset, of
Springfield, Massachusetts.

His patriotic and Colonial ancestry rendered him eligible to about every
organization of note based on Colonial residence and Revolutionary service.

272 223iIIiam ^SlalDo l^pDe

He was affiliated with the Society of Mayflower Descendants in Connecticut,
the Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth Branch of the Connecticut Society, Sons
of the American Revolution, and the Society of Colonial Wars in Connec-
ticut.

In fraternity his affiliations were entirely Masonic and included all
degrees of the York Rite and of the Scottish Rite up to and including the
thirty-second. He was a master Mason of Saint John's Lodge, Free and
Accepted Masons; a companion of Pythagoras Chapter, Royal Arch
Masons; a cryptic Mason of Wolcott Council, Royal and Select Masters; a
sir knight of Washington Commandery, Knights Templar; and a noble of
Sphinx Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. In Scottish Rite he held the
fourteen degrees of Charter Oak Lodge of Perfection ; the degrees of Hart-
ford Council, Princes of Jerusalem ; Cyrus Goodell Chapter of Rose Croix,
and of Connecticut Consistory, Sovereign Princes of the Royal Secret,
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.

This necessarily brief review of the life activity of a great man would
be incomplete did it not refer to that other side of his nature, not so well
known to the public as his legal and civic greatness. His love of fun, his
genial good nature and the charm of his social qualities were known and
appreciated only in fullest measure by those privileged to call him friend.
He had a quick sympathy which responded instantly to the good fortune or
misfortune of his friends; and the warmth of his congratulations made suc-
cess sweeter, while his word of consolation lightened the heaviness of sor-
row and he was always ready to help the weak one, or aid the discouraged.
His courtesy to young lawyers was unfailing and while an opponent at the
bar to be dreaded, he was always willing to extend any courtesy to opposing
counsel consistent with the proper conduct of his case.

There was another element of his character worthy of special note, his
courage and adaptability. It was said of his father that "as a rough and
tumble fighter in court he had no superior. All cases were the same to
him. Cases involving bookkeeping, patents, contracts, the usual run of dis-
putes of all kinds and criminal cases he could try with equal facility and his
courage never failed him." The son inherited many of his lawyer-like char-
acteristics from that father, and men called him a man of "indomitable
courage" pursuing what he believed a proper course in the face of all
obstacles and any opposition. A quiet man yet when aroused one of the
most eloquent.

Mr. Hyde married, December i, 1877, Helen Eliza Watson, his class-
mate in high school, daughter of George W. Watson, of Hartford, who sur-
vives him with two children: Elizabeth and Alvan Waldo Hyde, the latter
his father's partner in the firm of Gross, Hyde & Shipman. He married
(first) Helen Elizabeth Howard, who bore him two children: Helen Waldo
and Elizabeth Howard. He married (second) Theresa MacGillivray and has
two children: Jeanette MacGillivray and William Waldo Hyde (2).

appleton SRobbtns iliUper

'T IS THE duty of every community to put in some permanent
form the records of those good and able men who have dv^elt
and worked in it, in order that the memory of their acts shall
be kept ever fresh in the minds of posterity and serve as a
wholesome example to young men preparing themselves to
take their turn at public duties, and as an object lesson in
the proper use of those talents with which they have been
entrusted. And even more especially is this the case when he whose life
by reason of its value has become in a sense public property is possessed of
that modesty and retirement of nature that rather seeks to hide than to
reveal his story. Thus the virtue of modesty in a double sense adds to the
obligation, since it is in itself worthy of record and because its presence
renders it less probable that the other virtues will be known and appreciated.
Such was conspicuously the case with the honored citizen whose name
heads this brief sketch, who very literally obeyed the scriptural injunction
not to let his left hand know what his right did, so that even now only a por-
tion of his good deeds and his influence in the community can be made
known.

Appleton Robbins Hillyer was born September 2, 1833, in the town of
East Granby, Connecticut, a son of General Charles Tudor and Catherine
(Robbins) Hillyer, of that place. The father was a man well known beyond
the limits of his home-town and its neighborhood, and he held the rank of
Adjutant-General on the staff of the Governor of the State. The son passed
the first nineteen years of his life in his native town, gaining his education
in the local schools and neighboring academies. In his twentieth year he
came to the city of Hartford, and there remained for the long period of
sixty-three years, his death occurring in that city on April 21, 191 5, at the
age of eighty-two. His first position in Hartford was that of a clerk in the
post office under Ezra Hamilton, at that time postmaster. Soon, however,
he received his introduction to a line of business which he was to make par-
ticularly his own for all the remainder of his life. On this occupation he
entered in the humble position of clerk in the State Bank, where it was
agreed by his father and himself that it would be well for him to learn the
details of banking. His father was at the time president of the Charter
Oak Bank, and presently the young man was transferred to a clerkship in
that institution. From the outset he displayed great ability in this work, and
it was not long before he began to make his personality felt beyond the insti-
tution in which he was employed. He was one of the most active among the
group of men who organized the Aetna Bank, and did a great deal of the
work which prepared for the organization. The reward came with the suc-
cessful consummation of their project and the first meeting of the directors
of the new institution was held September 9, 1857. At this meeting Judge
Eliphalet A. Bulkeley was chosen president, and Mr. Hillyer was chosen to

274 appleton Boftftins j^illpet

the office of cashier, a position which he held for a period of thirty years,
during the presidencies of Judge Bulkeley, Oliver G. Terry and William R.
Cone. Upon the retirement of Mr. Cone, Mr. Hillyer was elected, March
31, 1887, president and director of the bank, which he had served so long
and disinterestedly. His presidency continued but four years, for on April
I, 1891, he resigned that office, though he remained a director, and from 1897
vice-president, until the time of his death. In 1907 the Aetna National Bank,
as its title then was, celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation, and
the fiftieth anniversary of Mr. Hillyer's connection with it, by a reception in
his honor at the Hartford Club, which was attended by many of the most
prominent men in the city and State, and at which he was presented by his
associates with a handsome silver loving cup. It was a matter of pride for
the bank that it was one of a very few banks in the United States with a
surplus equalling its capital, a distinction due in no small measure to Mr.
Hillyer's skill and ability. His interests were not confined to the Aetna
National Bank, but they extended to many important business and indus-
trial enterprises. Among these may be mentioned the Society for Savings,
of which he was vice-president, and also the Aetna Life Insurance Company
and the Case Lockwood and Brainard Company, in both of which he was a
director.

But prominent and influential as he was in the business world, it was
hardly in that connection that Mr. Hillyer was best known in Hartford.
Rather it was as a man of affairs and philanthropist that the greater number
of his fellow citizens came in contact with him. Politically he was a staunch
Republican, but he did not seek office, his other duties being of so exacting
a nature that he felt he could not devote to official service the energy and
time that his strict sense of obligation to the public would demand. But
there were few movements undertaken for the public good that did not
enlist his support, provided only that they appealed to his sense of the
practical and useful. He was particularly interested in the welfare of the
young men of the city, and therefore in the Young Men's Christian Associ-
ation, towards which he showed the greatest liberality. His father had also
been interested in this organization, and had presented it with a site for its
building; and in memory of his father, Mr. Hillyer and his sister gave an
endowment fund for the establishment of an educational department in
connection with the association to be known as the Hillyer Institute. Only
two years before his death Mr. Hillyer greatly increased his benefactions to
the association. At that time the board of trustees had determined upon
the erection of a large addition at the cost of three hundred thousand dollars,
which the growth of the membership and the increase of the activities rend-
ered necessary. When Mr. Hillyer was approached on this matter he con-
tributed at once one-half of the necessary sum. His munificent generosity
was also shown in other directions. As a member of the Windsor Avenue
Congregational Church, he did much to increase its usefulness. He served
on its prudential committee, was a regular attendant at its services, gave
largely in support of all its projects, and with his sister presented the church
with its present parsonage.

On June 10, 1879, Mr. Hillyer married Dotha Bushnell, a daughter of

appleton Roftbins Ipillget 275

the Rev. Dr. Horace Bushnell, the celebrated Hartford citizen, preacher, and
writer, then pastor of the North Congregational Church, whose name is
everywhere held in honor. Mrs. Hillyer survives him. To them were born
three children : Mary B., now the wife of Mr. Charles F. T. Seaverns, of
Hartford; Lucy Tudor, and Catherine Robbins, both deceased.

The death of Mr. Hillyer brought the sense of great loss to the citv and
was the occasion of general mourning. A tribute of the most impressive sort
was paid to his memory in a multitude of expressions of admiration for the
man and sorrow for his death which came from all classes of people and
from the institutions with which he was associated. For Mr. Hillyer was a
man essentially democratic in his outlook upon life and had many true
friends, for all of whom, even the most humble, he had always a kindly word
or a helping hand. The Aetna Life Insurance Company and the Young
Men's Christian Association at once ordered the flags on their buildings to
be set at half-mast and a number of institutions passed appropriate resolu-
tions. The press also joined in the universal chorus of praise. A number
of these testimonials follow as the most appropriate close to a sketch which
the limits of space prevent from being more than a most imperfect tribute
to one of whose simple virtue might well be said that

Kind hearts are more than coronets
And simple faith than Norman blood.

Mr. George C. Hubert, general secretary of the Young Men's Christian
Association, speaking of Mr. Hillyer, said as follows:

Mr. Hillyer represented in his life the choicest Christian principles, modesty, integ-
rity, and the desire to serve others were among his outstanding characteristics. Because
of his aversion to publicity his life of good and great and generous acts is far too little
known to the younger generation of the community. He was deeply interested in the
welfare of young men and women. His interest in them was as broad as their human
needs. As a benefactor of the local Young Men's Christian Association he took delight
in giving in a princely manner to endow its educational work, now known as the Hillyer
Institute of the Young Men's Christian Association, and also to make possible the erec-
tion of the new building which is this week to be pronounced completed. But his hearty,
personal sympathetic interest followed his gifts. He gave in no impersonal fashion. His
first interest was in the men his gifts were serving, and his face lighted with the keenest
pleasure when he heard of individuals, men and boys, who were personally helped by the
agencies his gifts were aiding. His life will be an inspiration to many others to high,
unselfish, and noble living. His native streets will see him no more, but his good deeds
will live after him.

Many other tributes of like kind were paid Mr. Hillyer by his associates
such as that of Alfred Spencer, Jr., president of the Aetna National Bank,
who said:

I have not the words at my command to express my regard for Mr. Hillyer. It was
a pleasure to be associated with him in business for twenty-four years. He was the
truest kind of a friend and a man of the loftiest ideals and character I have often
leaned on him for advice and counsel.

From the Hartford "Times" came the following:

Hartford owes much to the Hillyer family. It owes much to Appleton R. Hillyer,
whose death occurred yesterday at the ripe age of eighty-two. Mr. Hillyer was a

276 appleton Rotiftins J^illper

believer in the use of wealth for the good it can do. His gifts were munificent and intel-
ligently bestowed. He was always found aiding worthy causes. In his death Hartford
loses a genuine friend and one of her very best citizens.

The resolutions of the Aetna National Bank, with which Mr. Hillyer
was associated for well nigh sixty years, follow:

At a regular meeting of the Board of Directors of The Aetna National Bank of
Hartford, held April 26, 1915, the following resolutions were unanimously passed:

Whereas : The Board of Directors and Officers of The Aetna National Bank of
Hartford have lost a valued member in the decease of Mr. Appleton Robbins Hillyer,
who was so closely associated with The Aetna National Bank continuously since the
organization of the corporation in 1857 ; be it therefore

Resolved, That we but express the sentiment of all the Directors and Officers when
we affirm that his death is a serious misfortune for this Bank and a personal loss to each
member of its Board and Official Stafif.

Resolved, That his quiet counsel, his loyal assistance and sympathy, his devotion
to the interests of the Bank he served, his impartial attitude to those who labored with
him will be cherished as a lasting memory of worthiness to those who are left to carry
on the upbuilding of firm principles and a sound institution he loved so well.

Resolved, That his death means a loss to the State, City and Church ; that the civic
pride and unselfish support he at all times exhibited, lent and will continue to lend an
inspiration to those who were fortunate enough to work with him.

Resolved, That as a testimonial of our regard and esteem for him who was first
Cashier, then Director, President and Vice-President of this Bank, it is ordered that these
resolutions be incorporated in the records of this Bank, and that the Cashier be directed
to send to the family of Mr. Hillyer an engrossed copy thereof, with an expression of
our sincere sympathy.

CUstoortt) ifKlorton tCracp

'HERE ARE SOME lives which, although if measured by
years and months and days appear all too brief, have yet
been so crowded with events and useful service that gauged
by the true standard of things accomplished, are in that
sense longer than many of their fellows though these may
have outlasted the allotted three score years and ten. The
case of the Rev. Ellsworth Morton Tracy whose name heads
this sketch, most admirably exemplifies this proposition. His death at
Thomaston, Connecticut, on September ii, 1913, cut short before the com-
pletion of his thirty-ninth year a career at once brilliant and full of the
promise of future value, yet so rich in activities beneficial to his fellows had
been the few years allowed him by destiny, so strong had beat in him the
pulse of existence, that, if the figure be permissible, he seemed to have pressed
into the mould of those years a larger measure of life than that with which
most men are blessed.

Ellsworth Morton Tracy was born April 17, 1875, in Waterbury, Con-
necticut. He was a son of Morton and Ida (Kilborn) Tracy, honored
residents of that town, and through both was descended from fine old New
England stock. He spent the years of his childhood in his father's house in
his native town, engaged in the appropriate occupations of that age. Chief
of these was the gaining of his education, the seriousness of which task
seemed to impress the lad at an unusually early age. Indeed it was in his life
at school that his unusual powers first made themselves apparent in an unmis-
takable manner, and he soon began to attract the attention of his instructors
by the progress he made in his studies and the standing he maintained in
the class room. He was a born student and when in 1896 he graduated from
the high school, he was class valedictorian and carried oft' most of the honors.
From the high school he went at once to Trinity College, Hartford, where
he again distinguished himself and from which he graduated with the class
of 1900. In the meantime he had decided definitely upon his career in life.
Possessed of strong religious feelings from childhood, it had become more
and more his conviction that his duty lay in this direction and, accordingly
he now bent his efforts to prepare himself well for his high calling. After his
graduation from Trinity, Mr. Tracy at once entered the General Theological
Seminary in New York to pursue his studies in divinity. He was graduated
therefrom with the class of 1903 and the same year was ordained a deacon
in the Church of the Holy Trinity at Middletown, Connecticut. After a year
spent in this preliminary service, he was raised to the priesthood and given
charge of his first parish at Ogdensburg, New York. From Ogdensburg he
was sent to Maplewood, New Jersey, where he remained until 1909, when
he was finally put in charge of Trinity Church, Thomaston. He arrived in
his new parish in the early autumn and at once began his work there with
energy. In this he was highly successful, a magnetic personality and a
very sincere zeal acting together to draw his little flock under his most

278 aBIlstoorti) Q^otton Ctacp

beneficent influence. He worked most faithfully at his task and in a very-
short time made himself a distinct force in the community in all its depart-
ments of activity. He took a much more active part in public affairs than
the majority of his fellow clergymen and served in some of the town offices,
notably as director of the public library and member of the Board of Educa-
tion. In the year 1912 he was elected from Thomaston to the State House
of Representatives and represented his town there during the term which
followed with great disinterestedness and efficiency. While a member of
that body he was chosen house chairman of the Committee on Education,
in which capacity he did valuable service, not only to his home district, but
to the State generally. In the more immediate work of the parish, too, he
accomplished much and it was he who succeeded in establishing the parish
house and who organized a body of boy scouts among the children. The
children were, indeed, an object of especial interest and solicitude to him,
and he did a great deal toward their happiness and training. He was a man
of the most charitable impulses and never withheld any aid that it was in his
power to give from any worthy cause.

On May 31, 1904, Mr. Tracy was united in marriage with Bertha Bristol,
a native of Naugatuck, a daughter of Benjamin H. and Pauline (Phelps)
Bristol, of that place. Born to Mr. and Mrs. Tracy were three children:
Ellsworth Morton, Jr., Phelps Kilborn. and Bristol Potter (posthumous),
who with their mother survive Mr. Tracy.

The death of Mr. Tracy, coming as it did in the prime of life, to a man
so useful to the community, was severely felt by all who had associated with
him in any way or at any time. His sterling virtues and essentially manly
and courageous character had won the admiration and affection of all so that
his removal by death was felt as a loss of a beneficent and potent influence
and one that could hardly be spared. His fondness for young people and his
charitable impulses have already been noticed and there are many both
among the old and young who can look back to aid of many kinds extended
to them of which only he and they were aware, for it was ever his way to
hush the rumor of his own good works both on account of the recipient and
his own modesty. His strong convictions, while they made him positive of
speech and action, never interfered with his broad tolerance for the beliefs
and opinions of others. As his example while he lived, so may now his
memory serve to keep alive in the hearts of the coming generation for whom
he took so much thought, an ideal of strong, clean manhood and devoted
Christian service.

ISatUtam (Bolt} j&rinsmalie

'HERE IS SOMETHING eminently satisfactory in the sight
of a thorough scholar, an exponent of culture in its highest
and best sense, casting aside the cloak in which his kind is
so apt to enshroud themselves from public view, and coming
forth into the market place to mingle familiarly with every-
day people in their every-day affairs. The laity in this age of
scant veneration, while they may feel some awe for the
scholar, are not without contempt for him too, in the long run, conceiving
that he is a creature of books and old libraries with little of the tingling sense
of nature's vast movements, one whose existence is wrapped up in theory
and hypothesis and who should be at a loss did he find himself confronted
with one of the flaming verities of life. But when such a one surprises him by
voluntarily confronting this same nature and dealing quite as well if not
better with those same verities as the scarred man of the world, then is the
latter's scorn turned suddenly to a most hearty and spontaneous admiration
and he grudges no success that he may win. Such was William Gold Brins-
made, student, scholar and man of wide culture, yet withal a man of affairs
and one whose influence was felt directly in the community.

Mr. Brinsmade was born January 21, 1858, at Springfield, Hampden
county, Massachusetts, a son of William Bartlett and Charlotte Blake
(Chapin) Brinsmade, and was descended on both sides of the house from
fine old New England families. The founder of the Brinsmade line in this
country was John Brinsmade, who came from England and settled in
Charlestown, Massachusetts, some time prior to the year 1638. He removed
to Stratford, Connecticut, in 1650, being one of the early settlers of that
beautiful old town and was very prominent in its aff"airs, representing it for
a time in the General Court. From that time onward the Brinsmades have
occupied a distinguished position in the community and taken leading parts
in the church, on the bench and at the bar and in the army, as well as in
many other departments of activity. The Chapin family also is very old,
being founded in America by Deacon Samuel Chapin, who came from Wales
and settled in Springfield, Massachusetts, about 1640, nor have its members
distinguished themselves less than those of the paternal line. The father
of Mr. Brinsmade, William Bartlett Brinsmade. as the son of General
Daniel B. Brinsmade, and was himself an able and well known engineer,
for many years holding the position of superintendent of the Connecticut
River railroad.

William Gold Brinsmade passed the years of childhood and early youth
in the home of his father at Springfield. He early displayed the scholarly
abilities that so greatly distinguished him later, and it was at once his
father's desire and his own that he should receive the best possible education.
He received his early instructions in the excellent public schools of Spring-
field, and prepared for his college course in the high school there. He matri-
culated at Harvard University in the year 1877 ^"<^ graduated therefrom

28o mUliam ©oID ISrinsmaDe

with the class of 1881, after distinguishing himself in his studies and with
the degree of A. B. He had gained a strong taste for school and college
life and determined to follow the profession of teaching as his career.
Accordingly he sought and secured without difficulty a position as instructor
in the well known Gunnery School at Washington, Connecticut, and there,
upon the opening of the school term after his graduation, he started in his
new work. He was successful from the outset, having a manner which
instantly won him the friendship of the boys under his charge, and he
established a basis of understanding between teacher and pupil very advan-
tageous for the school. He began teaching at the Gunnery in September,
1881, the classics being his subject, continuing in this capacity thirteen years,
making in the meantime his department a model one. In 1894 it became pos-
sible for Mr. Brinsmade to carry out a project that he had long been con-
templating, and severing' his connection with the Gunnery he established the
Ridge School for Boys at Washington, Connecticut, on his own account. The
Ridge School was designed for the preparation of twenty odd boys for col-
lege and the skill and knowledge of Mr. Brinsmade was expended to make
it perfect of its kind. It is situated on what is known as the old Brins-
made farm which has been in the family for generations and was originally
owned by the Rev. Daniel Brinsmade, a great-grandson of the immigrant,
John Brinsmade. It is situated ideally and the limited number of pupils made
it possible for Mr. Brinsmade to give his individual attention to each scholar
who thus benefited directly by the association.

But Mr. Brinsmade was not the kind of man to retire into the seclusion
of school and content himself with the society of his pupils, however much
he may have loved them. His sympathies and interests were too broad to
permit of his doing such a thing and he entered actively into the general life
of the community where he had chosen to make his home. He was especially
interested in the matter of religion and, as was to have been expected, educa-
tional afifairs. He was elected in 1888 a member of the town school com-
mittee and was continued in that position until his death, holding the offices
of secretary and chairman of the board for a considerable period. He was
also chosen secretary of the Washington I-ibrary Association, and in 1889
became clerk of the First Ecclesiastical Society of Washington, and in 1892
chairman of its society committee, both of which positions he held until his
death. Mr. Brinsmade could number among his various abilities a very
marked musical talent which he had cultivated with his usual pains. This he
turned to the increase of his own and other people's pleasure and edification,
taking the directorship of the choir in the Congregational church. He alsp
led the Washington Glee Club for some time, giving one or two concerts a
year, but later resigned to take a similar position with the Washington
Choral Club, a larger and more ambitious organization. Politically he was
affiliated with no party, displaying in this connection the same independence
of thought and action that always characterized him. He voted entirely
independently for whatever cause or candidate was approved by his con-
science and judgment. He was conspicuous socially, being very popular
among a large circle of friends, and was a member of many organizations of
a social and semi-social character. Among these should be mentioned the

JOilliam (J5oID IBrinsmaDe 281

Harvard Union, the Harvard Club of Connecticut, the Harvard Teachers'
Association, the Connecticut Association of High and Classical School
Teachers, the Litchfield County University Club, the Civil Service Reform
Association and the Pi Eta fraternity of Harvard.

On December 23, 1885, Mr. Brinsmade was united in marriage with
Ada Gibson Colton, of Warren, Connecticut, a daughter of the Rev. W. S.
and Lucy P. (Gibson) Colton, of that place. Mr. Colton was a graduate of
Yale University in 1850 and for over thirty years held pastorates in Connec-
ticut. To Mr. and Mrs. Brinsmade was born one daughter, Dorothy Chapin
Brinsmade, who now resides with her mother in Washington, Connecticut.

The character of Mr. Brinsmade was one peculiarly well fitted to exert
a beneficial influence upon those with whom he was associated. As has
already been suggested, he was one of those unusual men who are able to
make use of an exceptional degree of culture and learning in a popular
manner and thus influence a larger circle of men than is usually the case. An
attractive personality quickly won the stranger to become the friend and once
thus won, his obviously sterling character, with its simple sincerity and devo-
tion, bound the friendship to be life-long. The young people, of whom so
many came into that close association with him of teacher and pupil, were
devoted to him even beyond the devotion of their elders, and there are many
young men in various parts of the country who look back upon his influence
in their schooldays as one of the most important factors in their develop-
ment.

iflajor ISitlliam 3atfe8on Iffiilooti

T HAS BEEN viniversally conceded that the busiest men are
those who always find time to spare in order to assume addi-
tional duties, and apparently they are able to accomplish
wonders. The very simple principle lying at the root of this
state of affairs is systematic and methodical work. Every
moment of time is given its full valuation, and every phase
of life is appreciated in proportion to the useful work which
has been faithfully performed. A man who was a fine exponent of this
admirable class of men was Major William Jackson Wood, late of Hartford,
Connecticut, who was as efficient in the world of finance as in that of com-
merce, and whose patriotism and devotion to his country ranked second to
none.

Major William Jackson Wood was born in Rockaway, Morris county,
New Jersey, March 28, 1836, and died at his home in Hartford, Connecticut,
October 25, 1885. He was a son of Freeman and Mary Burwell (Jackson)
Wood, the former a prominent iron manufacturer of New Jersey. The pre-
paratory education of Major Wood was acquired at Flushing, Long Island,
and he then matriculated at the College of New Jersey, now Princeton Uni-
versity, and was graduated from this institution in the class of 1856. Having
decided to follow the legal profession, he commenced the study of law, and
was admitted to the bar, June 9, 1859, and at once commenced the active
practice of his profession. He was successfully engaged in this when, in
1862, he was elected to serve in the State Legislature. He performed his
duties in the Legislature with great credit, and in 1863, enlisted in the Union
army, and was identified with this struggle in various capacities until its
conclusion. As a member of General Gilmore's staff" he displayed marked
ability, and also as a disbursing officer at Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Later he was stationed at Hartford and Boston, being connected with the
office in those places for the payment of discharged New England volunteers.
Upon the termination of the war in 1865, Major Wood engaged in the iron
business at Troy, New York, in association with Corning, Wilson & Com-
pany, and so signal were the services he rendered in this connection, that two
years later, he was appointed vice-president and manager of the Collins
Company, at Collinsville, Connecticut. While still connected with the firm
in Troy, Major Wood, in association with some others, was instrumental in
introducing the Bessemer steel rails for railroad use. Upon the death of
E. B. Watkinson, president of the Collins Company, Major Wood was
selected to succeed him, in 1884, and was still the incumbent of this office
at the time of his death. While still living in Rockaway, New Jersey, Major
Wood was the cashier of that institution, and he also served as clerk of the
town in 1859. During his residence in Hartford at the close of the war,
Major Wood had made many friends, and in 1873. he took up his permanent
residence there. The sterling integrity of Major Wood was recognized by
his fellow citizens, and he was chosen to fill many responsible positions.

S^afot caniiam 3Iacbson SHooD 283

Among these were: President of the Connecticut Trust & Safe Deposit
Company; director of the National Exchange Bank; director of the Connec-
ticut Fire Insurance Company; director of the American School for the
Deaf; and vice-president of the Hartford Library Association. In the social
and religious life of the community he was equally active, and was a member
of Asylum Hill Congregational Church, exerting a beneficial influence
among the young people of the congregation. He was a close friend of
General Hawley, and took a deep interest in all political matters. He was
a deep and earnest thinker as well as student, especially in the science of
metallurgy, was considered an authority in this field, and was about to pub-
lish a work on this subject when he passed away.

Major Wood married, in 1866, Frances P. Howe, a daughter of Edmund
Grant and Frances (Kies) Howe, residents of Hartford, where the former
was at one time president of the National Exchange Bank. Major and Mrs.
Wood had one child: Ethel, now Mrs. Herbert I. Thomas, of Ottawa,
Canada.

Ctitoarli ^Saooiruff Seymour

'HERE IS SOMETHING extremely delightful about the great
fund of associations that has grouped itself about the legal
life in our eastern United States that can only be fully appre-
ciated by one who has seen it at home, so to speak. There is
something intimate about the atmosphere in which these
associations envelope themselves that makes one feel upon
entering it almost as though he were being introduced to a
large and attractive family, the members of which have their racy jests, their
shrewd wit, and a great body of traditions in common. And what traditions
they are, rich, keen, the product of many a brilliant mind and profound
spirit, which, in the heat of legal conflict, or in the warmth of noble comrade-
ship, have knocked from one another, like flint from steel, these sparks of
verbal fire, or drawn forth like summer sun, these fruits of kindly wisdom
and trenchant philosophy. A thousand splendid personalities have in their
time enjoyed this common possession and added each one his own quota of
individuality to enrich still further what those who followed them should
receive. It is with one of these that the present brief sketch is concerned, a
man of deep erudition especially in the realm of his profession, of clear, alert
intellect, of forceful utterance, but above all, of kindly, virtuous spirit.

Edward Woodrufif Seymour was born August 30, 1832, at Litchfield,
Connecticut, and died October 16, 1892, when but sixty years of age and in
the midst of a brilliant career. He was a member of a most illustrious family
which for hundreds of years traces its descent in this country and in Eng-
land. The coat-of-arms of the Seymour family is as follows: Quarterly:
First and fourth, or, on a pile gules, between six fleurs-de-lis azure three lions
of England (being the coat of augmentation granted by King Henry the
Eighth on his marriage with Lady Jane Seymour) ; second and third, gules
two wings conjoined in lure, the tips downward, or, for Seymour. Crest;
Out of a ducal coronet or, a phoenix of the last, issuing from flames proper.
Supporters: Dexter, a unicorn argent armed, maned, and tufted or, gorged
with a ducal collar, per pale, azure and or, to which is affixed a chain of the
last; sinister, a bull azure ducally gorged, chained, hoofed and armed or.
Motto : Foy pour devoir.

The dukes of Somerset were Seymours and it is from a cadet branch of
this house that the American line is derived, the founder thereof being one
Richard Seymour, who was an early settler in Hartford. He came to that
point probably in 1639, one year after its founding by Thomas Hooker and
his followers. He did not stay in Hartford, however, but was one of those
who founded Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1650, the reason assigned by tradition
being that his religious convictions did not coincide with those of the worthy
Hooker and his flock, and he found it expedient to seek a home in the wilder-
ness. The descendants of Richard Seymour have maintained to this day the
high reputation won by their ancestor, and indeed in the past two genera-
tions have greatly augmented it. The father of Edward Woodruff Seymour

<^C</7^-

r

OBDtoatD C^ooDcuff ^epmour 285

was Orig-en Storrs Seymour who, throughout his long life, was intimately
associated with the bench and bar of Connecticut. A leader of the bar, he
was raised in rank upon the bench until he became chief justice of the
Supreme Court of Errors, the highest tribunal in the State, an office that he
held until the constitutional age limit, and he was in a large measure the
author of Connecticut's modern code practice, adopted by the Legislature
in 1879. He was married to Lucy M. Woodruff, of Litchfield, a daughter of
Morris and Candace (Catlin) Woodrufif, of that town, and it was their eldest
child whose career forms the subject matter of this article.

Judge Seymour passed practically his entire life in his native town, but
spent a part of his boyhood in Farmington, Connecticut, where he attended
the Classical School of Simeon and Edward L. Hart, preparing himself for
a collegiate course, and later spent four years at New Haven w^hile a student
in Yale University. At the latter institution he was a member of the class
of 1853, famous for the many notable men it contained, and graduated in
that year with the degree of A. B. There was but one profession possible for
the son of Judge Origen Storrs Seymour, and indeed it was the young man's
uninfluenced inclination which led him to take up the study of law. This he
did in his father's office to such good effect that in 1856 he was admitted to
the bar in Litchfield county. He at once began practice in association with
his father, and from the outset was successful. The recommendation which
the very name he bore constituted was found by all whose litigation he con-
ducted to be entirely realized in his own abilities and talents. In 1870 his
father was elected a judge of the Supreme Court of Errors in Connecticut
and three years later became chief justice. Of course all participation on the
part of the elder man in the practice was cut short by this election and his son
conducted the work alone. After five years, however, he formed a new part-
nership with his younger brother, Morris W. Seymour, the two making their
headquarters in Bridgeport where a very large practice was built up. The
young man was extremely successful in the cases he handled and was at an
early age recognized as one of the leaders of the State bar.

Following in the footsteps of his father and of many of his ancestors,
Judge Seymour early turned his attention to politics and the conduct of
public affairs. He was chosen judge of probate not long after his appearance
in the legal world, and in 1859 he was elected to represent his native town
in the State Legislature, serving in that year and the next and again during,
the term of 1870-71. In 1882 he was elected a State Senator and was con-
tinued in that office until 1886, by a community most grateful for the emi-
nent .services received at his hand. Chief Justice Origen S. Seymour died in
1881, and eight years later his son became an associate member of the august
body over which he had presided. His powers were displayed to the best
advantage in his high office where the highest ideals of justice and mercy
and the most incorruptible honor are of such paramount importance to the
community. He served but three years therein when death interrupted his
brilliant and useful career, while still his powers and faculties were in their
very prime. As a member of the Supreme Court of Errors, by his conduct on
that high tribunal, Judge Seymour worthily crowned a reputation already
most enviable, yet there seems but little doubt that had his life been spared

286 (COtoatD mootituU ^epmour

him through those maturer years when, as a rule, the chief laurels of the
jurist are won, he would have reached even higher dignities and honors.
Of his services on this bench Judge Augustus H. Fenn said at the time of
his death: "While of his services upon that court, this is neither the time
nor place to speak with fullness, it has been the privilege of the writer to
know them somewhat thoroughly, and because of such knowledge he can
the more truly bear witness of the rare spirit of fidelity to duty, to justice, to
law, as a living, pervading and beneficent rule of action, with which, whether
upon the bench listening to and weighing the arguments and contentions of
counsel, in private study, in the consultation room, or in the written opinions
of the court which bear his name, the high duties of that great office were
faithfully discharged."

On May 12, 1864, Judge Seymour was united in marriage with Mary
Floyd Talmadge, a native of New York City, born May 26, 1831, a daughter
of Frederick Augustus and Elizabeth (Canfield) Talmadge, of that place.
Mrs. Seymour survives her husband and continues to reside in Litchfield.
She is a member of an illustrious New England family which has resided
there since about the year 1630, the members of which have played a most
conspicuous part in the history of that region. She numbers among her
ancestors the renowned Colonel Benjamin Talmadge, of Revolutionary
fame, whose exploits against the British were of so notable a character as to
receive especial notice from Congress and congratulations from General
Washington.

It is of course impossible in an account of this kind to more than most
inadequately suggest the character of such a man as Judge Seymour. His
characteristics may be suggested separately and illustrated feebly in the
bare account of his career, but their combination in one personality and the
influence of such personality upon all those with whom it associated must
remain impossible. We may pay tribute to his unimpeachable honor, his
strength of purpose, his courage of conviction, his general intelligence and
enlightenment, his culture and his domestic virtues, all of which were pos-
sessed in the highest degree by Judge Seymour, yet the concrete man still
eludes us. Yet is this inability shared by all save the pen of genius and the
pen, also, of love which, through its emotional insight, partakes of the quali-
ties of genius. It is therefore appropriate to close with some quotations from
the pens of his dear and intimate associates, who wrote of him at the time of
his death with the clear image of their friend before them in mental vision.
Of his qualities as a lawyer Henry C. Robinson wrote as follows:

As a lawyer he was thorough, quick in perception, sound in reflection, pleasing and
effective in speech. He prepared his cases conscientiously. His knowledge of men, his
quick wit, his rare apprehension of humor and humorous things, his abounding good
judgment, his intellectual alacrity in emergencies, and his courage in a crisis gave him
a fine outfit for practice. He cross-examined a witness always with skill and sometimes
with genius. But no temptation to score a point ever led him into the petty tyranny of
abusing a witness. He wore the golden rule on his heart and remembered that the man
in the witness box was a brother. Asa judge, without being hortatory, he warmed his
opinions with wholesome morals. Such ethics, for instance, as we find in the opinion of
Coupland vs. Housatonic Railroad Company, in the Sixty-first Connecticut, make good
reading. His career as a lawyer and judge strengthens our attachment to our profession
which he adorned.

(ZBDtoarD COooDruff Scpmout

287

Of him Governor Richard D. Hubbard said in the course of an address:

I think we can all say in very truth and soberness and with nothing of extravagance
in eulogy, that we just lost the foremost, undeniably the foremost lawyer, and take for
all in all the noblest citizen of our State. If it be too much to say of a son, whose years
were almost a score less than those of the father, surely it is not too much to affirm that
never did son tread more worthily in the footsteps of an honored parent, and never did
untimely death break truer promise than this which has deprived our State of those years
of ripened usefulness, which would have made the career of the son as fruitful in honor,
and all good, and good to all, as that of the sire. But God knows best, and doubtless
what is is for the best. Certainly to him who lies crowned with the beatitude of Christ
upon the pure in heart, it is well.

JFranfe ISaoolikilige Cljenep

'HE DEATH OF Colonel Frank Woodbridge Cheney at his
home in South Manchester, Connecticut, May 26, 1909,
removed from that community one of the most popular and
well beloved figures in its busy life, and from the State of
Connecticut one of its most influential and prominent citi-
zens. The Cheney family is representative of the fine old
New England stock which has played so important a part
in shaping the destinies of this youthful nation, its members having for many
years made their home in South Manchester and East Hartford. The first
of the name to reside in this section was Benjamin Cheney, the great-great-
grandfather of Colonel Cheney, a prominent man in the community who did
a flourishing business as a wheelwright, joiner and carpenter, besides being
the owner of a large and valuable tract of land there. It was not until the
time of Charles Cheney, great-grandson of the above and father of Colonel
Cheney, that the family removed from South Manchester, and even then it
was but a temporary removal, Mr. Cheney returning to take his part in the
organization and development of the great Cheney Brothers silk business,
and to take part in the early difiiculties and discouragements which in the
first years of its existence beset what is now one of the greatest industries of
the State.

Frank Woodbridge Cheney, the second of the six children born to
Charles and Waitstill Dexter (Shaw) Cheney, was born June 5, 1832, at
Providence, Rhode Island, but passed only the earliest years in that city,
being yet a mere child when his parents removed to Ohio. Upon the farm
purchased by Mr. Cheney, Sr., the major part of his boyhood was passed,
and it was during this period that he gained the elementary portion of his
education. This healthful life and the wholesome pleasures and tasks laid
the foundation of Mr. Cheney's strength and endurance which he so greatly
needed in the active, busy life which he subsequently led. Before he had
grown to manhood, however, his father returned to Providence, and there
the youth completed his education, attending for a time the excellent city
schools, and later Brown University. He was taken into the Cheney silk
concern by his father, and evidently showed ability from the outset, since in
1854 he was already elected a director of the firm, a position to which he had
worked from the humble one of punching a dye stick in about four years.
The business was at this time undergoing a succession of difficulties, and in
1858 it was felt that it could not meet the competition of some of its rivals,
without having a representative in China. Young Mr. Cheney was chosen
for this responsible post, and in 1858 started for the east, remaining about
three years in China and Japan, purchasing silk. This was but a short time
after the ports of the former country had been opened to foreigners, and for
some time Mr. Cheney was one of twelve men of the white race in that great
empire. The firm which he represented there, however, was greatly bene-
fited by his intelligent efiforts on its behalf, and from that time forward began

jTrank saaooD&riDge CJjenep 289

its great development which was in no small measure due to the business
genius of Mr. Cheney. The year 1861 saw the return of Mr. Cheney to the
United States, and it was while he was in Egypt that he learned of the
outbreak of the Civil War. He lost no time in completing his journey, and
upon arriving at home at once threw himself heart and soul into recruiting
for the Union army. He was one of those most instrumental in organizing
the Sixteenth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, of which he was appointed
lieutenant-colonel, and with which he departed for the front. The Six-
teenth Connecticut saw active service from the start, and it was at the battle
of Antietam, September 17, 1862, that Colonel Cheney was shot through the
arm while leading his men in a charge. Upon recovering sufficiently to be
able to leave the hospital, he was discharged from the service because of his
disability caused by the wound.

In the year 1858, at the time of his departure, Mr. Cheney had been
made assistant treasurer, and now, upon his return from the war, he entered
into the duties more immediately connected with his position. In 1874 his
father, who occupied the place of treasurer and secretary of the Cheney
Brothers corporation, died, and young Mr. Cheney was elected to these
offices in his place. From this time he assumed the general management
of the whole huge concern, and to this really enormous task he brought a
degree of consummate skill, judgment and tact, which have resulted in
greatly increasing the volume of business and redounded to his own great
credit and reputation as a business leader. Besides his management of the
company, he was also well known in the silk business generally, as one who
was active in its interests. He was a prominent figure in the Silk Associ-
ation of America, and only a year before his death was placed in a committee
with Mr. J. Huber by the association to urge upon Congress a revision of the
silk tariff. A man as prominent and influential as Mr. Cheney in one line
of business rarely confines himself entirely within the scope of that par-
ticular interest, and this was certainly the case with Mr. Cheney, who was
identified with many of the largest and most important financial and indus-
trial institutions in the State as an officer or director. He was a director of
the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, the National Fire Insur-
ance Company, and the Hartford Steam-boiler Insurance Company. He
was also elected a director of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail-
road Company, on the death of ex-Mayor Leverett Brainard, of Hartford,
and this important office gave him much influence in transportation circles
throughout that region, and this influence he exerted for the good of his com-
munity.

But it was not by any means only in the business world, however large
his interests might be within its scope, that Colonel Cheney was active.
Although of a most retiring disposition and shrinking from taking public
office of any kind, his extreme popularity rendered it inevitable that he
should take part in the political world, even though it might be against his
will and inclination. He was a strong supporter of the Republican party
and its principles, and in 1892 the State organization urged upon him the
nomination for Lieutenant-Governor. The year happened to be that of the

CONN— Vol III-19

290 jFcank COooDfitiDge Cftenep

"deadfall" issue, upon which the Democrats were easily victorious, and
Colonel Cheney suffered defeat with the rest of his party. Two years later
he was nominated by the Republicans for Governor of the State, but the
Democratic star had not yet set, and once more he was defeated. He re-
marked with a smile when the news was brought him that he had paid for
a room at the Allyn House together with a box of cigars and plenty of
experience, and that he would now take a bath and wash off the politics. He
was not able to entirely rid himself of politics even then, however, for eight
years later, while traveling in Europe, he received a cablegram from the
people of Manchester asking him to return and act as their representative at
the State Constitutional Convention. This he agreed to do, and returned at
once from his travels. Colonel Cheney was very prominent in the social
world of Hartford and Manchester, and belonged to many prominent clubs
and other organizations in that region. He was of course a member of the
Connecticut Sixteenth Regiment Association, with which he had served
in the Civil War, and so great was his popularity with the members that he
was elected president for life thereof. On his seventy-fifth birthday, one
year before his death, the survivors of the regiment met at his house and pre-
sented Colonel and Mrs. Cheney with a handsome silver loving cup. He
was also a member of Drake Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and the
Veteran Association of the Hartford City Guard. He was a director of the
Hartford Retreat, the Watkinson Farm School, and the American School
for the Deaf.

Colonel Cheney was married, November 3, 1863, at Hartford, to Mary
Bushnell, of that city, the second daughter of the Rev. Dr. Horace Bush-
nell, one of the most distinguished citizens of Hartford, after whom was
named the beautiful Bushnell Park in that city. To Colonel and Mrs.
Cheney were born twelve children, as follows: Emily, now Mrs. Barrett
Learned, of Washington; Charles, who succeeded his father as secretary
and treasurer of the Cheney Brothers corporation; Horace Bushnell; John
Davenport; Howell; Seth Leslie; Ward, of whom brief mention is made be-
low; Austin; Frank Dexter; Dorothy; Marjorie; Ruth, now Mrs. C. A.
Goodwin, of Hartford.

The seventh child. Ward Cheney, born May 26, 1876, was a graduate
of Yale University, with the class of 1896. At the outbreak of the Spanish
War, he volunteered for service and enlisted with Company G, First Regi-
ment Connecticut Volunteers. He later received a commission in the regular
army, having decided to follow a military career, and being attached to the
Fourth United States Infantry, served in this country for a time, and was
taken ill with typhoid fever at Fort Sheridan, near Chicago. Upon his
recovery he was sent with his regiment to the Philippines, and there met
his death, January 7, 1900, in an engagement with insurgent natives at Imus.
The young man was only twenty-four years old and very popular both
among his fellows in the army and in his home region in Connecticut. His
death was universally regretted.

Colonel Cheney was a strong and simple character, typical of New Eng-
land, the union of the idealist and the practical man of affairs, valuable in
any community where he appears. This combination of characteristics was

jFtanb gaooDbtiDge C&eneg 291

admirably exemplified in his business life. He was known to be entirely
practical in the conduct of the great interests that were entrusted to his care,
yet merely to win for himself and associates large dividends was by no means
his object. It was under him that the plan, now in such universal use in
New England, of employers and employees uniting in subscribing to a fund
for the benefit of tubercular working men and women originated. Toward
the community as a whole he was ever moved to some generous and public-
spirited deed, and that in spite of an instinctive shrinking from appearing
publicly, and even from social life on its formal side. He was indeed devoted
to the society of his friends, and found his chief pleasures in the intimate
intercourse of the household and home. His death was a very real loss to
all classes in the community.

3(o})n Hurlbut WiUtt

OHN HURLBUT WHITE, late of Hartford, long probate

judge of the Hartford district, was one of those unassuming

men whose true worth is best known to their near associates.

He was descended from Thomas Hurlbut, a blacksmith, who

came with Lion Gardiner to Saybrook, Connecticut, in 1635,

and was very seriously wounded in a conflict with the

Indians. As early as 1640 he settled in Wethersfield, where

he was an original proprietor and prominent in the conduct of public affairs,

serving as deputy to the General Court, and was the second largest taxpayer

at the time of his death.

John Hurlbut White was born November 23, 1833, in East Glaston-
bury, Connecticut, son of Eleazer Sweetland and Alma Holmes (Hurlbut)
White. He died January 4, 1912, at Hartford, where he was universally
esteemed and respected as an official and a citizen. After receiving an
academic education he went to Hartford in 1851, and read law in the office
of Hon. Heman H. Barbour. He was admitted to the bar March 12, 1858,
and immediately entered upon the practice of his profession, taking an active
interest in political affairs, in affiliation with the Democratic party. In i860
he was elected city auditor of Hartford, on the Democratic ticket, and three
years later was elected judge of probate for the district of Hartford, which
includes Glastonbury, Windsor Locks, Bloomfield, Rocky Hill, West Hart-
ford, Newington and Wethersfield. At the time of his election it also
included East Hartford, which was separated in May, 1887. For twenty-
three years Judge White continued to administer his office, which he re-
signed in January, 1887, to resume the active practice of law. His long term
of office demonstrates his popularity with the public, which was greatly
attached to him because of his fairness and sympathy with those in trouble.
As much of his business was transacted with people who had been recently
bereaved, his kindly and sympathetic nature facilitated the discharge of his
duty, and made these relations as pleasant as possible under the circum-
stances. Judge White was always a student and reader, and he brought to
his practice, after resigning the judgeship, a well-trained mind and a ripe
experience, and his success was worthily won. During the Civil War he was
appointed with Ezra Hall as commissioner to take the votes of Connecticut
soldiers in the field in the presidential election of 1864, and the discharge of
this trust consumed a period of six weeks. He was one of the organizers of
the Capewell Horse-Nail Company, with which he was first associated as
counsel and director, later vice-president, and at the time of his death was its
president. He was many years director of the Farmers & Mechanics Na-
tional Bank, which is now merged with the Hartford National Bank. From
1858 he was continuously a member of the North Congregational Church,
which later became the Park Congregational Church. He acted on various
committees of the church, and was among its most faithful adherents. Judge
White filled various positions of trust and settled many estates, including

31o&n ^ud&nt mtiitt 293

that of Henry Keney, of whose will he was one of the executors. Thencefor-
ward, until the time of his death, he was one of the four trustees of Keney
Park. For many years he was president of the Probate Assembly of Con-
necticut, and for six years was a member of the State Board of Mediation
and Arbitration. In i860 he joined the First Company, Governor's Foot
Guard, and later became a member of the Veteran Corps, of which he was
at one time president.

He married, June 6, i860, Jennie M. Cook, daughter of George and
Sarah (Woodruff) Cook, of Litchfield, Connecticut. Mrs. White is de-
scended from Joseph Wadsworth, who hid the charter in the historic Charter
Oak, which incident gave its name to the tree, and is known to every
school boy of America. A maternal ancestor, John Woodruff, was with
Washington at Valley Forge, and present at the execution of the unfor-
tunate Major Andre. She is the mother of Henry C. White, a well-known
artist, now residing in Waterford, Connecticut. He married Grace H.
Holbrook, of Hartford, daughter of Caleb M. and Elizabeth (Nelson) Hol-
brook, both now deceased. Of this marriage there are two children: i.
John Holbrook White, associated with the Travelers' Insurance Company
of Hartford; married Eleanor Walker, and has two daughters, Frances
Holbrook and Grace Walker. 2. Nelson Cook White, now a student at Pom-
fret, Connecticut.

Scibn ^mttf) (S^rap

"OHN SMITH GRAY was born in Hartford, September i6,
1816. He was the son of Samuel and Ann (Smith) Gray,
and a descendant of Lion Gardiner, of Gardiner's Island. His
grandfather was Colonel Ebenezer Gray, of Windham, an
officer in the Continental army and one of the original
members of the Society of the Cincinnati.

He began business as a clerk in a wholesale drug store,
after which, when about twenty years old, he spent a year in Cuba on the
sugar estate of his grandfather, John Smith. Here he acquired some knowl-
edge of the Spanish language which enabled him later to carry on an export
trade with South America. In his early business life Mr. Gray was a member
of the firm of Fales & Gray, manufacturers of railroad cars. Later he was
in the hardware firm, originally Leroy & Company, now Tracy, Robinson &
Robinson. About the year 1880 he left this business and with his son, John
Watkinson Gray, started the Hartford Rubber Works which was later sold
out to the Pope Manufacturing Company. He retired from business in
1892 on the death of his son.

On May 9, 1848, Mr. Gray married Mary Watkinson, daughter of
Robert and Maria (Champion) Watkinson, born February 23, 1823. They
had three children as follows: Ellen Watkinson; John Watkinson, who
married Clara Bolter, and Annie, who married the Rev. John Humphrey
Barbour.

John Smith Gray was a lifelong and devoted member of the Episcopal
church. He grew up in the parish of Christ Church, of which his mother was
a member. He was parish clerk from 1843 to 1849 ^-nd became junior warden
in 1861. In 1863 he moved to the western part of the city, was connected
with Trinity Church almost from its foundation and for many years was a
member of the vestry. He was habitually at church twice on Sunday, had
family prayers daily in his home and grace at table. He was also a regular
communicant of the church. John Smith Gray was a Republican in politics.
He took no conspicuous part in public life, but was representative of the
best type of those Hartford merchants of earlier days whose high moral
standards leave a valuable example to posterity.

On May 9, 1898, Mr. and Mrs. Gray celebrated their golden wedding
and on June 24, 1899, after a short illness, Mr. Gray died.

EV. JOHN HUMPHREY BARBOUR, long a useful member
of the Episcopal clergy of Connecticut, and a teacher of
theology, was born May 29, 1854, in Torrington, son of
Judge Henry Stiles and Pamela Jane (Bartholomew) Bar-
bour, and died April 29, 1900, at Middletown. He prepared
for college, was admitted to Amherst in 1869, but soon after
determined to enter the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal
church, and withdrew from Amherst before the close of his academic year.
Immediately thereafter he entered Trinity College, Hartford, and was con-
firmed by Bishop Williams on Trinity Sunday, 1870. In college he gained
distinction and was graduated in 1873 with special honors in chemistry,
natural science and mathematics. In the autumn of the same year he entered
Berkeley Divinity School at Middletown, and was ordained deacon by
Bishop Williams, May 31, 1876, at the annual ordination of the school, along
with thirteen others. Very soon he became assistant minister at Trinity
Church, Hartford, with charge of Grace Chapel at Parkville. This was
nearly two years before he had attained the canonical age for ordination to
the priesthood. On September 18, 1878, he was ordained priest in Trinity
Church. Rev. Samuel Hart, his superior at Berkeley Divinity School, said
of him :

During the thirteen years of his ministry at Parkville he was indefatigable in his
labors among the people of his charge, devoting himself to his work as pastor and min-
ister, and at the same time he did not fail to continue his studies in the many depart-
ments of learning to which his mind was drawn and participate in those which had to do
with the understanding of Holy Scripture. To an especially clear discernment and
apprehension of truth was added a ready facility in its statement and in commending
it to the minds of others ; and he greatly enjoyed the opportunity for study which came
to him from living in the neighborhood of his alma mater. During the academic year
1878-79, he filled a temporary appointment as tutor in mathematics ; and having been
from the time of his return to Hartford the assistant librarian of the college, with prac-
tically full charge, he was given the title of librarian in 1882. It fell to his lot to
rearrange the books in the library on their removal to the place provided for them in the
new college buildings, and to prepare a card catalogue on modern principles of classi-
fication ; and this was done with unstinted labor and great enthusiasm. Very few per-
sons will ever know, except from the testimony of those who are familiar with all the
details of this work, how great is the debt which the college owes to Dr. Barbour for
the labor which he bestowed upon the library ; and it was a real compensation to him
that he saw it grow in number of volumes and in usefulness. While in Hartford he
prepared a brief but excellent manual of instructions for confirmation, and also wrote,
or rather compiled, "The Beginnings of the Historic Episcopate," a collection of passages
from the New Testament, and from Christian authors before the year 250, bearing on
the history of the ministry of the church, to which were appended tables and a diagram
prepared in his characteristically clear and ingenious manner.

In 1889, a vacancy having occurred in the professorship of the literature and inter-
pretation of the New Testament in the Berkeley Divinity School, Mr. Barbour was
called to that chair. He brought to his new duties a well furnished mind, trained in one
direction by pastoral work, and in another by academic associations, quick to under-
stand and patient to learn and it was not necessary for him to go back to resume his
studies from the time of his ordination, for he had kept remarkably well in touch with
the progress of scholarship during those years. He was also appointed librarian of the
Divinity School, and it was a part of his duty there, as at the college, to take charge of a
library on i-ts removal to a new building, with the special pleasure which came from

296 3fol)n l^umpfjrep ISatfiout

planning for the arranging of the building itself. But it was the study and teaching of
the New Testament to which he devoted himself with unfailing interest for eleven
years, not neglecting what might be called the external and more especially scholastic
side of the work; and never forgetting that one cannot learn the spirit without the study
of the letter, but seeking above all for the spiritual meaning, and taking his students in
their three years' course through the whole of the New Testament, either in Greek or
in English. He contributed at times to periodicals, his most valuable writing of this
kind being an investigation of the composition of the Apocalypse, and the latest an
article on the study of the New Testament, published in the "Churchman" of April 21
(of the 3'ear 1900) ; and he wrote valuable papers on various subjects for clerical meet-
ings and gatherings of scholars. He was for several years before his death one of the
examining chaplains of the diocese, and at its last commencement his alma mater con-
ferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. It may also be noted here that he
served for some time as secretary of the alumni of the college, and that of late years he
had been secretary of the alumni of the Divinity School.

On Maunday Thursday, April 12, Dr. Barbour celebrated Holy Communion in the
chapel of the Divinity School, attended two later services, and met his classes as usual.
Returning home he was obliged to cease work, and was unable again to leave his room.

Dr. Barbour married Annie Gray, daughter of the late John S. Gray, of
Hartford, and their surviving children are: i. Ellen Gray, married Dr.
Walter Ashley Glines, of Porto Rico, and they have one child, Virginia S.
2. Dr. Henry Gray Barbour, pharmacologist at Yale Medical School ; he mar-
ried Lilla Chittenden, and they have two children, Henry C. and Dorothy
Gray. 3. Rev. Paul Humphrey Barbour, married Mary W. Bailey, vifho died
in September, 1914; they had one child, Paul Humphrey.

Dr. Hart delivered a memorial sermon at Grace Chapel. Parkville, May
13, 1900, in which were included the following words:

He read and studied diligently and methodically, so that he knew what intelligent
people were thinking about ; he kept himself well informed in many matters of science,
and knew a great deal about God's works in nature and of the ways in which in which
men studied them and wrote about them ; and for these reasons his mind was always
fresh and his thoughts were quick and ready. But with all and above all he studied God's
Holy Word, the Old Testament and the New ; not merely reading day by day the lessons
as they were appointed in the Prayer Book, with special readings on Sundays of the
chapters and parts of chapters which are not in the daily lessons, but making a careful
study of one book of the Bible after another, in the language in which it was written,
and thus, as he had been charged to do when he was ordained, "by daily reading and
weighing the Scriptures, he waxed riper and stronger in his ministry," and he instructed
you, his people, out of the Scriptures, the word of truth. His preaching seemed plain
and simple, but it was for the very reason that he took pains with it ; and he was care-
ful always to explain what was meant by the text or passage about which he was preach-
ing, so that there were not many congregations who could have learned from their
clergyman more than you had the opportunity of learning. What he wrote out, he wrote
out carefully and clearly ; and for his unwritten sermons he took pains to have an outline
just as carefully and clearly prepared, and he knew precisely what he wanted to say and
why he wanted to say it. That word of truth of which St. James speaks in the text was
the life of his soul, or rather a means by which he took ever firmer hold on the Lord
Jesus Christ as the life of his soul ; and God made him in this way to be a kind of first-
fruits, quick in his apprehension, patient in his study, ready in his expression, helpful
in his commendation of sacred truth ; no doubt benefiting himself in this way, but most
certainly benefiting those who heard him ; and first-fruits representing and blessing
those who were in it brought to God. * * *

And we know that the life has not ended. We cannot tell what that well-furnished
mind and well-disciplined soul is learning in Paradise ; but we do know that it is still
"increasing and going forwards in the knowledge and faith of God and the Son of God
by the H0I3' Spirit." We cannot tell for what ministry in the kingdom, the world of
resurrection he shall be found specially meet in the great and unending day of God, but
we are sure that they who are true teachers shall then have a brightness, not for their
own glory but to lead others to greater visions of truth, and that they who instruct many
for righteousness shall shine as the stars, with unfading and beneficent brightness, for-
ever and ever.

*EW, IF ANY, residents of Hartford, Connecticut, were more
widely or favorably known than the late Edwin Hopkins
Arnold, president of the Trout Brook Ice & Feed Company.
He was a man of amiable disposition, and sustained an irre-
proachable reputation for reliability as well as enterprise.
He possessed the courtesy and gentlemanly qualities of the
old school, and the circle of his friends was almost co-exten-
sive with the circle of his acquaintances. Closely connected with the business
life of the city for many years, he was honored and esteemed wherever he
was known, while his memory is cherished by those with whom he came in
close contact. Of engaging personal appearance, he was the soul of kind-
liness and geniality, while deference and attention to the opinions of others
were of his marked characteristics. His family is an ancient one, and he
traced his descent in a direct line to Elder William Brewster.

Harvey Arnold, his father, was born in East Hampton, Connecticut,
July 29, 1795, and died in West Hartford, Connecticut, February 18, 1847.
He was an enterprising and energetic man, and removed to Hartford some
time in the forties. There he purchased a large tract of land which extended
from what is now Prospect avenue to Whiting street, and from Farmington
avenue to Park street. His business enterprises were varied and extensive
in their scope. He married Betsey Sears, who died in 1850, and they had
children, all now deceased : Merrick ; Prescott ; Edwin Hopkins, whose name
heads this sketch; Lavinia, who married Oliver Shelton.

Edwin Hopkins Arnold was born in East Hampton, Connecticut, No-
vember 27, 1830, and died at his beautiful home in West Hartford, Connec-
ticut, October 14, 1905. His educational training was commenced in his
native town and completed at the West Hartford Academy, from which he
was graduated. He was about fourteen years of age at the time the family
removed to Hartford, where they resided on the land above mentioned.
Upon the death of the father, the estate was divided among the children, and
Mr. Arnold added considerably to his share. He did a great deal to improve
and develop that section of the city, and in recognition of this fact Arnold-
dale Road in West Hartford received its name. Subsequently he sold his
farm and purchased ten acres on Farmington avenue, on which the fine
family residence, No. 892, is still located. He cultivated this plot of ground
as a "gentleman farmer," finding in this his chief form of recreation. In
association with his son, Frederick Wadsworth Arnold, he organized the
Trout Brook Ice Sz Feed Company, a corporation of which he was chosen
president, and remained the efficient incumbent of this office until death put
an end to his activities. In matters connected with politics he was a staunch
Republican, and while he gave his support to this party, he was never de-
sirous of holding public office. Devoted to his wife and children, he sought
and found his pleasures in the home circle, which was the gathering place of

298 (JBDtDin l^opkin0 ^rnolD

a large circle of friends, the home being noted for its openhanded hospi-
tality.

Mr. Arnold married (first) Augusta Flagg, a daughter of George and
Mary (Goodman) Flagg, of West Hartford; Mrs. Arnold died in West
Hartford in 1858. Mr. Arnold married (second) May 22, 1861, Harriet Mait-
land Wadsworth, born in Hartford, May 25, 1841, daughter of Oliver and
Rosa Anna (Isham) Wadsworth, both born in Hartford, where he was en-
gaged in the saddlery and trunk business. He was a direct descendant of
Joseph Wadsworth, who hid the charter in the now famous "Charter Oak."
Children by the first marriage : Charles Edwin, who lives in the family resi-
dence on Farmington avenue ; Mary Elizabeth, married Charles S. Mills, of
Westfield, Massachusetts, and has a daughter, Edith Arnold, who married
F. S. Smith, of Beverly, Massachusetts, and has children, Peter and Eliza-
beth; Ada Mess, secretary of the Society of Mayflower Descendants, also
lives in the family home on Farmington avenue. The children of the second
marriage are : Frederick Wadsworth, who succeeded his father as president
of the Trout Brook Ice & Feed Company; Grace, who married L. C. Daniels,

and has children, Ruth and Mildred ; and , who married L. A. Sheldon,

of West Hartford.

Mrs. Arnold comes of a family distinguished in the history of Connec-
ticut. She remembers, how, as a child, her father playfully placed her in the
hollow of the old "Charter Oak," and there told her the story of the tree, and
the part it and her ancestor, Joseph Wadsworth, had played in the history
of the State. She has contributed much valuable data concerning the correct
story of the "Oak," made famous by her illustrious ancestor. Her essay on
this subject was favorably commented upon by many of our local historical
writers.

The name Wadsworth is derived, it is supposed, from Wood's Court, or
court in the woods, the inference being that some ancestor of the present
family held court in a wood — hence, literally, Woodscourt; in German,
Waldes-hoff ; in Anglo-Saxon, Waldes-weorth. The name is quite common
in England, especially in the Yorkshire district, where it now seems probable
the early ancestors of the American family hailed from.

MONO THE CONSPICUOUS figures of Hartford county,
Connecticut, during a generation that is past, and well de-
serving remembrance in our own and future times, should be
numbered that of Dr. Jared Whitfield Pardee, of Bristol, a
man famous in his day alike for his professional skill, an un-
usually keen intellect, which often found its expression in a
somewhat caustic wit, and his staunch churchmanship
which he defended with all the vigor of a strong personality and powerful
convictions. He was a member of a family very well known in that region
and which had resided in New England from the earliest Colonial times, the
immigrant ancestors being George and Martha Pardee. George Pardee was
by origin a Huguenot, but it seems probable that he came to the American
colonies with an English family v/hich settled in Morris Cove, Connecticut,
in the year 1653. The parents of Dr. Jared W. Pardee were Leavitt and Eliz-
abeth (Hemingway) Pardee, old and respected residents of Bristol during
Revolutionary times. To this venerable couple were born four children:
Sally, Jared Whitfield, the subject of this sketch ; Amy, and Leavitt, Jr.

The Pardee coat-of-arms is thus described : Or, a chevron azure between
three stars of sixteen points of the second.

Dr. Jared Whitfield Pardee was born on January i, 1792, in Morris
Cove, Connecticut, and there gained his education at the local schools, and
also attended Yale College, from which he was graduated. He was a man of
very decided character and at an early age decided upon medicine as his
choice of careers. In accordance with this determination, he attended the
Yale Medical School at New Haven, where he bore himself with distinction
and from which he graduated in the last year of the presidency of the famous
Timothy Dwight. He established himself in practice in Bristol and very
shortly made a reputation for himself as a clever diagnostician and a pro-
found student of his subject, to say nothing of his equal fame as something
of an original genius. During a period of upwards of fifty years he con-
tinued to practice his profession in that neighborhood and came to be one
of the best known figures thereabouts, his reputation, indeed, spreading be-
yond the limits of his own community. He was a very ardent Democrat in
political belief and became a valuable ally of that party in Hartford county,
from the vigor of his espousal of its principles and policies. The same vigor
which characterized his political opinions, and which by his enemies was
regarded as approachng violence, also marked his other beliefs which he
supported, one and all, with all the weapons of a keen wit and emphatic utter-
ance. As has already been remarked, he was a very ardent churchman, of
the Episcopalian persuasion, a cause which he never failed to defend by
every appropriate means.

In January, 1817, Dr. Pardee was united in marriage with Ruth Norton
Upson, of Bristol, Connecticut, where she was born January 2, 1795, a
daughter of Asa and Ruth (Norton) Upson, of Berlin, Connecticut. She

300 JareD mhMtlH parDce

died August 13, 1874, having borne her husband seven children, as follows:
Czarina Elizabeth, who became Mrs. Asa Russell, of Great Barrington;
Dwight Whitfield Pardee, the eminent Connecticut jurist, of whom a sketch
follows in this work; Milette, died in infancy; Sarah, died young; Cora, died
in 1906; child, died in infancy; and Sarah N., now a resident of Hartford.

The death of Dr. Pardee on January 6, 1867, brought to an end a career
in every respect most successful, for in spite of the strength of his convic-
tions and his mode of pressing them, of which his opponents complained, he
was essentially one of the best hearted men in the world and however great
his foes, politically or religiously, he seldom had to bear any personal ani-
mosity, never, indeed, from such frank and open characters as his own.
For this reason his success may be said to have been well rounded and
complete, for this is true of the men who make friends, but not of those who
make enemies, be their formal achievements what they may. Dr. Pardee,
then, was a man who made friends and was accordingly successful in the
best sense of the term, a man who stood for something definite in the com-
munity, one of those figures that everyone knows better than he does the
mayor or the judge, one who, as Chesterton tells us, is too large an individual
to fit into any official pigeon hole and consequently remains in private life
where his service to his fellows can remain more distinctively his own.

®tDtgI)t Wl!)ttfteItJ ^arliee

USTICE DWIGHT WHITFIELD PARDEE, late of the
Supreme Court of Connecticut, was one of a comparatively
few men who have carried down into our own day the high
and splendid traditions of the Connecticut bar, established
in times gone by through the brilliant achievements of some
of the most eminent barristers in the history of our country.
He was the second of the seven children of Dr. Jared Whitfield
and Ruth Norton (Upson) Pardee, of Bristol, Hartford county, Connecticut,
where he was himself born February 1 1, 1822. His father was a man of very
remarkable powers who was well known throughout the county, and it was
from him that his son inherited some measure of his ability, although in
general character they were different enough. Dr. Pardee was a man of
means and gave to Dwight W. the best of educations, sending him at first
to the Waterbury Academy to prepare for a college career. The lad was
unusually precocious in his studies, and was but fourteen years of age when,
having graduated from this institution, he entered Trinity College, Hart-
ford. At Trinity College he further distinuished himself and graduated
therefrom with honors with the class of 1840. He also had the advantage
of private tutors, and there were but few who could boast of a wider famil-
iarity with the knowledge of the schools then he. It had been decided that
he should follow the profession of law, by this time, and he accordingly took
up the study of this subject with his usual ardoi- and success under several
masters. Among these should be mentioned the Hon. Isaac Toucy, later
Attorney-General of the United States, under whose preceptorship the
young man studied and with whom he was afterwards in partnership for a
time. He also took the course in the Yale Law School at New Haven, from
which he graduated. Being admitted to the bar the same year he was taken
into the partnership already noticed by Mr. Toucy, who had formed a very
high opinion of the young- man's powers, and was soon embarked on the
practice of his profession in Hartford, a city which ever afterwards remained
his home. His fame as a successful attorney grew rapidly and he was soon
a recognized leader of the county bar and some of the most important litiga-
tion of the period was intrusted to his able hands. Like his father before
him, the rising young lawyer was a strong adherent to the principles of the
Democratic party, and it is the greater tribute to his powers that, in a period
when these principles were coming more and more into popular disfavor, his
political career should have been so successful.

It was in the year 1857 that he first made his appearance in a con-
spicuous role in this realm, being then elected to the Connecticut State
Senate, and serving with great effectiveness during the next two years.
It was a time of extremely bitter partisan feeling, the period immediately
preceding the outbreak of the war. The influence of Judge Pardee was
exerted in company with that of Richard D. Hubbard and Charles H.
Northam, who represented Hartford in the State House of Representatives,

302 Dtaiig&t mftitficlD patPec

and of other Democrats of the same calibre, to prevent hostilities, but in
vain. The next step in his political career was that which made him justice
of the Superior Court in Hartford county on the retirement of Justices
Waldo and Seymour from that body, and thereafter his activities are even
more closely identified with the bench than with the bar. This election was
made in 1863 and he continued in the office for ten years, and in 1873 was
elected associate justice of the Supreme Court of Connecticut. The term of
office in this the highest court of the State is eight years and Justice Pardee
served for two of these, finally retiring on account of ill health at the end of
the second and in his sixty-eighth year. He had in the meantime made for
himself a reputation second to none as a wise judge and capable lawyer, a
reputation that will live long in the memory of his fellow judges and attor-
neys and of the community generally. In the year 1878 Justice Pardee
received an honor that he valued highly in the shape of the honorary degree
of LL. D. from his old alma mater, Trinity College.

Justice Pardee was married in June, 1847, to Henrietta Porter, of Hart-
ford, a daughter of Solomon Porter, of that city, of which he was a very promi-
nent citizen. Two children were born of this union who died in early child-
hood and the death of Mrs. Pardee occurred not long after in 1863. Justice
Pardee never remarried, making his home with three sisters at No. 62
Capitol avenue, Hartford, where death finally claimed him October 6, 1893.
The funeral, which was a very impressive one, was held from St. John's
Episcopal Church in the city, of which Justice Pardee had been a devoted
member for many years and of which at the time of his death he was senior
warden. It was attended by many eminent men, who represented the
important interests with which he had been connected in life. The judges
of the Connecticut Supreme Court attended and the president and faculty of
Trinity College as well as many of the most prominent figures in the State
and county bar. The honorary pallbearers were Justice Elisha Carpenter, of
the Supreme Court; Justice Nethaniel Shipman, of the United States Circuit
Court ; ex-Justice Dwight Loomis, of the Supreme Court ; President George
Williamson and ex-President Thomas R. Pynchon, of Trinity College; Hon.
Henry C. Robinson; George W. Wooley, junior warden of St. John's
Church; James A. Smith and Dr. W. A. M. Wainright, vestrymen of the
church; and President George F. Hills, of the State Bank in Hartford.

But no adequate impression of the life and achievements of Justice
Pardee can be given by a bare record of the principal events of his career.
Though these indeed indicate the powers necessary to win a notable success,
yet they give but a bald outline of the man himself whose attractions won
him the friendship of a whole community and whose sterling virtues per-
formed the still greater feat of retaining it. To give a picture in any degree
adequate of him as a man, it will be necessary to turn to the expressions of
admiration and sorrow which flowed from the lips and pens of the men who
knew him personally at the time of his death and which form a tribute to his
memory of which any man might well be proud. Among these the resolu-
tions of St. John's Church are conspicuous as well as typical, and read as
follows :

Dtoigftt mmtfjcin patPec 303

At a meeting of the vestry of St. John's Church held Saturday, October 7, 1893, the
following- minute was adopted : In the death of its honored and beloved senior warden,
Dwight Whitfield Pardee, LL. D., St. John's Parish has suiifered an irreparable loss!
Long identified with its history, he has ever served the parish with unswerving fidelity
and loyal devotion. Baptized, confirmed, married, and afterwards an earnest Sunday
school teacher within its walls, he, for the longest part of his life, has been faithful in
his devotion to St. John's. More than once by his unerring wisdom, clearness of judg-
ment and unfaltering righteousness he has proved himself to be her warmest friend and
supporter. With a loving yet firm hand he has guided her in some anxious moments.
His noble career as a jurist of the highest order, his faithful puplic service and the uni-
versal acknowledgment of his broadness of mind and creed, are sources of pride and
inspiration to those who were privileged to serve with him in the work of this parish.
Faithful to the teachings of the church, constant in his attendance upon all her services
and holy communions, reverent and devout in manner, he is ever a pattern to others of a
life that can be hid with Christ in God. Righteous and loving, firm and tender-hearted,
filled with noble ideals and always compassionate to the weak, he fulfilled in the largest
degree the conception of a true manhood. It is in memory of so wise and good a friend
of the parish and of our city life outside that we ofifer this loving tribute to his char-
acter.

In the course of a memorial sermon, preached by the Rev. Mr. Bradin,
rector of St. John's, shortly after Justice Pardee's death, that worthy divine
said:

"His mind was a thanksgiving to the power that made him, it was blessedness and
love " How accurately these lines by Wordsworth described him all who knew him will
perceive. He had that fineess of nature, that ])hysical and mental organization which is
capable of most delicate sensations and sympathies, of which Ruskin speaks as a prime
characteristic of the gentleman. He sedulously strove to conceal from the public view
his nameless acts of love and kindness. He was a just judge who feared God and
regarded man. His eye was single and all his convictions, conceptions and statements
were luminous. But I think he was more and better than a just and righteous man.
He was a good man. There was a Christian grace in him that greatly enriched and
beautified the natural strength and justice of his mind. For it should be said that Judge
Pardee was a most devout and exemplary Christian man. He believed in the gospel
with all the strength of his mind and heart. He walked in its ways and diligently prac-
ticed its precepts. He was kind and merciful and charitable after his power. The poor,
the sick, the sorrowful and all who were needy had in him a rare friend and helper.
* * * Judge Pardee's departure is a sore bereavement to our city. Such men as he
give us a feeling of social security. Every good cause here has lost in him a potent
champion. The poor and needy have lost in him a generous helper. The people have
lost a wise and faithful friend. Not only the particular church of which he was an hon-
ored and influential member, but all churches of the city, have lost a strong and polished
pillar.

Illustrative of the last claim in the Rev. Mr. Bradin's address, there was
another church of dififerent denomination, whose rector also spoke words
in praise of Justice Pardee's memory. This was the Rev. Dr. E. P. Parker,
of the South Congregational Church, who, in the course of his sermon spoke
as follows:

It is not too much to say that Judge Pardee was held in respect, esteem and confi-
dence by the entire community in which he lived and which he served through a long
term of years. * * * And surely never did there live on earth a man of kindlier
nature. Indulgent listener was he to the tongue of garrulous age, nor did the sick man's
tale, to his fraternal sympathy addressed, obtain reluctant hearing. By those who knew
him more intimately he was regarded with admiration for the wealth of his intellect and
moral endowment,' and cherished with warm affection for his singularly gentle and
amiable qualities of heart. He was a man whom no one could have passed without
remark. Active and nervous was his gait, his limbs and his whole figure breathing
intelligence.

304 Dtoigftt mbitfjein parPee

One of the warmest and most appreciative memorials was a brief notice
from the pen of a lifelong friend of Justice Pardee, who knew him well and
perhaps understood his character more adequately than any other. We
quote in part from it as follows :

Judge Pardee had in a high degree the judicial faculty. He was never embarrassed
by the complicated facts that overweight so many of the cases that go to our higher
courts. He was able to precipitate, as by the touch of an alchemist, the questions of law
which they held in solution. With a quickness of appreciation often thought incom-
patible with a proper judicial deliberativeness, he had a remarkable soundness of prac-
tical judgment and a great sense of justice. Though never led astray by any fondness
for speculation, he had a rare faculty of dealing with moral questions and exploring new
regions of legal inquiry. He had less book-learning than some less able judges, but had
a clear comprehension of legal principles and a thorough mastery of the law and its
science. His opinions are written in language of great condensation and vigor, often epi-
gramatic and quaint in its conciseness and point, always clear, always freighted with
meaning, and without being in the slightest degree ambitious or inclined to be ornate,
yet of a high literary quality. No verbiage ever burdened anything which he wrote or
uttered ; no weak word or thought ever came from his lips or his pen. He was a very
modest man and of a retiring disposition. He rarely appeared upon a public platform or
took an active part in public meetings. This was true of his early years at the bar as well
as of his later on the bench. He was quiet in his demeanor, not at all self-assertive or
demonstrative, positive in his views but never aggressive in declaring them, a shrewd
and intelligent observer of public men and public afifairs, but keeping his comments,
sometimes caustic, always keen and racy, for private conversation. He had a fine sense
of humor and was often a witty contributor to the entertainment of a dinner party or a
circle of friends, but it was generally by way of reply to the remarks of others and' upon
the suggestion of the moment. He was never a talker in the ordinary sense of the word.
Judge Pardee was a man of the highest moral tone. No one ever imputed to him an
unworthy motive. He was a man of absolute and most scrupulous integrity and had
the unlimited confidence of the public as such. He was a liberal giver to worthy char-
ities : his gifts, often large, being made where practicable in a way to avoid public obser-
vation. No one could be more free from ostentation or pretense, none of plainer or more
simple habits. He was tall and slender and in later years of his life, his abundant hair
and beard, whitened by age, gave him a striking appearance upon the bench and street.
His dark eye was one of remarkable richness and depth. * * * j.jg took great inter-
est in Trinity College and for many years was one of its trustees, and made it the ulti-
mate legatee of a part of his estate. * * * The death of Judge Pardee gave to the
whole community a sense of loss, but to the writer of this imperfect sketch of him it
brought a great personal bereavement and sorrow. We had been pleasantly acquainted
from our early manhood as brethren at the Hartford bar, with a high esteem for him on
my part, but during the sixteen years that he was a member of the Supreme Court, I
being then its reporter, there grew up between us a very fond friendship. To no one
outside of my own family did I look for companionship in my declining years so much
as to him. It is with a sense almost of desolation that I think of his returnless absence,
and it is among my pleasantest thoughts that we shall soon meet in a renewed and abid-
ing companionship.

Such then was Justice Pardee and it may well be supposed that the man
who could inspire such sentiments of love and admiration on the part of his
friends — for the above tribute is but typical — must have played a very im-
portant part and exercised a great influence for good upon the community
that was so fortunate as to count him a member. And this was undoubtedly
the case. Whether regarded from the standpoint of his relatives and per-
sonal friends, from that of his many associates of the bench and bar, or from
that of the community at large, he was a man who had wrought a good
work, whose name deserves to live long in the grateful memory of his
fellows.

iteabitt ^omerop &mtU

T IS ONLY of comparatively recent years that the inestimable
benefits conferred upon the community by the sober business
man and merchant are coming- to have their due share of
recognition, and that the records of these men are being set
down alongside of those more showy ones connected with
military service and the affairs of State, as most truly repre-
sentative of human life, and in the aggregate the most
largely contributive to the sum of human happiness. This growing appre-
ciation of the part played by those concerned with the commercial and
financial interests of the community has been coincident with a profound
change in the organization of society itself, a change which has involved the
shifting of its base from war to industry. Before this change had taken
place, although the value of the merchant was realized in a dim sort of way
by the warlike lords of creation, it was tinged with scarcely more consider-
ation than that accorded to the creatures of the chase which were thought
valuable indeed, but merely valuable as prey for their fierce and insatiate
desires, a consideration typified by the robber barons of mediaeval Germany
for the traders whose caravans they hoped to plunder. In the gradual
emergence into popular notice and respect of a mode of life essentially far
more noble than that which originally despised it, this country, with its
republican institutions, its democratic ideals and independent defiance of
old formulae, has played a prominent, perhaps the most prominent, part.
In the United States of America, while we have amply honored those who
have sacrified themselves in war to the common weal, as we have honored
those who have sacrificed themselves in any calling, we have refused to
accept the dictum of a past age and foreign clime that there is anything
intrinsically honorable in the warlike calling, giving our admiration instead
to pursuits which in their very nature tend to upbuild, not to destroy, which
would give and preserve life, not take it. It therefore becomes our appro-
priate function to set down the records of such men as have established
reputations for character and ability in these occupations which more than
any others are typical of life as we find it here in our midst at the present
time. There is probably no other region which has been and still is more
productive in such records than that of New England, the development of
whose great industrial interests is associated with a host of names recog-
nized by all as those of great enterprises, but which were originally borne
by their founders who were the great leaders and captains in this wholly
beneficent campaign for the conquest of the realms of inanimate nature, and
the spread of human power and comfort. Among these names there is one
which holds a high place in the regard of the people of Connecticut, espe-
cially those of Hartford county in the neighborhood of the charming town
of Suffield. This is the name of Bissell, which from the earliest Colonial
times has been borne by men who have displayed ability in worldly affairs

CONN—Vol III— 20

3o6 Leatiitt pomerop IBissell

and a certain inherent leadership causing them to occupy prominent places
among their fellows. True in these particulars to the traditions of his name
was the late Leavitt Pomeroy Bissell, who from very early in his life took
and held a conspicuous place as a business man in his native region, where
he made his home during the comparatively few years that were granted him
on earth. His death, which occurred September 24, 1913, cut short a most
brilliant career when he was but forty-eight years of age, his powers in
their zenith, his ambitions bearing but their earliest fruit. He was the elder
of the two sons of Charles Samuel and Maria E. (Pomeroy) Bissell, of Suf-
field, Connecticut. His father, and brother, Charles Chauncey Bissell, were
both prominent in Suffield, and sketches of both appear in this work.

Leavitt Pomeroy Bissell was born in the picturesque and charming
town of Suffield, April 18, 1865, and as soon as he was of an age to learn he
was sent to the local public schools, where he at once established his claim
to be considered as possessed of brains and abilities above the average. He
was the child of wealthy parents and there was no need for him to abandon
the studies in which he distinguished himself at an unduly early age, so
having attended the public schools for a period of years, he was entered at
the famous Suffield school known as the Connecticut Literary Institute.
His studies here and a year at the Wilbraham Academy in the town of that
name completed his formal education, but a man like Mr. Bissell never
entirely finishes his work in this line, his faculties for absorbing knowledge
being apparently intuitive, so that to the end of his life he was in a true
sense a student. At the age of nineteen years, having completed his school-
ing, he at once entered business life, securing a position as clerk with the
Travelers' Insurance Company of Hartford. He remained with this com-
pany but six years, but during that time displayed such marked business
ability that he was promoted to the position ranking next to that of auditor
in the latter's department. In the year 1890 he received an offer to enter
into partnership with a Mr. W. D. Drake in the manufacture of cigars under
the firm name of W. D. Drake & Company. This business was located in
Suffield and flourished from the start. In the year 1895 Mr. Drake died,
leaving Mr. Bissell the sole owner and manager of the business which still
more rapidly increased in his control. From this beginning Mr. Bissell be-
came more and more closely interested in the tobacco business and more and
more closely identified with it until he was recognized as one of the leading
merchants and one of the most potent influences in the trade. In 1897 he
became interested in leaf tobacco as a member of the firm of R. F. Brome &
Company, and shortly afterwards bought out his partner's interest and car-
ried on the concern alone. In 1898 his brother joined him in this enterprise
and the firm of L. P. Bissell Brother & Company was formed, which did one
of the largest trades of the kind in the region. But Mr. Bissell's interest
became still further inclusive of the tobacco business when he took up the
cultivation of the plant itself. For this purpose he formed what was known
as the Bissell-Graves Syndicate, and at the time of his death was sole pro-
prietor. Mr. Bissell had upwards of one hundred and fifty acres under
cultivation, making him the largest individual tobacco grower in New Eng-
land. Some idea may be gained as to the size of his operations from the

Lcatittt pometog Igtgsell 307

knowledge that in his various concerns he had at times as many as five
hundred men on his various pay rolls, a fact which also gives point to the
statement that he was a benefactor to his native place and responsible in a
large measure for its prosperity.

But it was not merely through the medium of his private business that
he took part in the life of his community and served its interests notably.
He was a man of truly democratic instincts and was, in a very real sense, the
friend of everyone and a good townsman. He took part in the cheerful
social life of the place, being a member of many clubs and organizations.
In the Masonic order he was particularly prominent, a member of Apollo
Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Washington Chapter and Sufifield
Council of Suffield: Washington Commandery, Knights Templar, and
Sphinx Temple of the Mystic Shrine of Hartford. He was also a member of
Torrington Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and a charter
member of Gideon Granger Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of Suffield. Re-
ligiously he was affiliated with the Baptist church and was a faithful and
earnest worker in its interests. His generosity and zeal in the cause of
Masonry was well illustrated by his gift of a handsome organ to the new
Masonic Temple presented to Apollo Lodge by Charles L. Spencer.

Leavitt Pomeroy Bissell was united in marriage with Mary Weston
Gilbert, of Suffield, daughter of Weston and Mary (Loomis) Gilbert, old and
respected residents of that town. The marriage was celebrated January i8,
1888, five children being born of the union, two of whom, with their mother,
have survived Mr. Bissell's death. These are Arthur G. and Mary W.
Bissell.

The untimely death of Mr. Bissell was caused by an attack of pneu-
monia contracted while on a tour of pleasure. He had been ill a little earlier
in the year, but seemed quite recovered and had decided upon a short holi-
day to recover his accustomed strength. This he proposed spending with
a party of friends in an automobile tour which had for its objective point,
Detroit, Michigan, and the grand circuit races which were held there. It
was on their return from this city that the party were overtaken by a rain
storm and in Mr. Bissell's weakened state the exposure brought on pneu-
monia. He was obliged to seek a haven in Buffalo and there a few days
later he died. His death was a very severe loss to his native community for
which he had done so much, a great deal more, indeed, than will ever be
realized by any single individual, for his charities were extensive and so
conducted that no one but the immediate recipient was aware of any par-
ticular act of assistance. He truly fulfilled the injunction not to let his left
hand know the deeds of his right. His memory is highly revered and at the
time of his death the entire press of the region united in a chorus of praise
of his energetic and blameless career.

In the course of a long obituary article the "Windsor Locks Journal"
said in part:

Mr. Bissell was a man of more than ordinary business ability and had been very
successful in all his undertakings. He gave a large number of people employment and
was very liberal with his help. His heart was always open to people in trouble and the
world at large will never know of the many acts of kindness and charity that have

3o8 Leatiitt pometop 15isgeII

brightened the lives of less fortunate people than himself. His large and varied inter-
ests in the business life of the town and his prominence in the social and fraternal life
will make his death more keenly felt.

Speaking of his funeral a Springfield paper said among other things:

The funeral of Leavitt P. Bissell, one of the leading citizens of Suffield, who died at
Buffalo on Wednesday, was held at the home yesterday at two-thirty o'clock. The
people of the town showed their respect to their fellow townsman, who was the largest
individual tobacco grower in New England, by closing all places of business during
the ceremony and attending in large numbers. It was easily the largest funeral ever seen
in Suffield.

In the course of its remarks on the same occasion the follow^ing
appeared:

Leavitt Pomeroy Bissell, forty-eight, the town's leading business man, died suddenly
on Wednesday at Buffalo, New York, from pneumonia which he contracted while on
an automobile trip with a party of friends to Detroit, Michigan, where they attended the
grand circuit races. * * * Early in life Mr. Bissell developed sterling qualities as a
manager and by hard and persistant work built up the largest industry in the town, and
his sudden death has cast a mantle of gloom over the entire town, the townspeople with
whom he was in daily contact being hardly able to realize that their friend and benefactor
is dead.

The qualities that made Mr. Bissell so highly respected in his business
dealing of good-faith and simple honor were exhibited in equal degree in the
private relations of life, making him highly beloved wherever he was known.
He was a domestic man, a man who loved the society of household and inti-
mates and whose companionship was in turn welcomed by them as a treas-
ure of great price. His tastes were many and diverse and he was fortunate
in being able to gratify them more than the majority of men. One of his
chief amusements was driving, and he appreciated the qualities of a horse
as well as any man. Some of the best known trotters in that part of the
country found their way to and remained in his stables. Healthy outdoor
life was delightful to him and he was a strong advocate of it for the young,
to whom he believed it brought the highest blessings. He was a singularly
well-rounded character, a personality which has been and will continue to be
greatly missed.

iNE OF THE most distinguished members of the American
diplomatic service during the past generation was William
Woodville Rockhill, the gentleman whose name heads this
brief review, and whose death at Honolulu, December 8,
1914, was a loss to the entire country. Possessed of such
unusual abilities that he excelled in whatever branch of
activity he engaged in, a diplomatist, a statesman, an eth-
nologist, an orientalist, Mr. Rockhill performed work in each department
which entitled him to be regarded as a master therein.

William Woodville Rockhill was born April i, 1854, in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, a son of Thomas Cadwallader and Dorothy Anna (Wood-
ville) Rockhill, the former named a prominent citizen of that place. He did
not remain long either in the city or the country of his birth, but was taken
abroad, and passed his youth in France and in that country received his
education. He attended the great French military school of St. Cyr and
was one of the few American graduates of the institution. His education
was a very complete one and his training familiarized him with European
conditions to such an extent that he was regarded as especially well fitted
for the post when, in 1884, he received an appointment as second secretary
of the American legation at Pekin, China. Mr. Rockhill thus made his bow
simultaneously to the American diplomatic service and to the Chinese
Empire, two matters that were to engage his attention and effort during the
greater part of the remainder of his life. He was not long in convincing
his superiors that his qualifications were by no means limited to his train-
ing, but that he possessed a natural adaptability which rendered him an
invaluable agent in dealing with the characters of other peoples and races,
yet of a firmness of purpose that removed all fear of his being imposed upon.
Not less important, perhaps, then either of these qualities was the great and
sympathetic interest that he developed in the peoples that he came in
contact with, an interest that led him into some of the other fields of effort in
which he distinguished himself so highly. This was, in fact, the impulse
that urged him to undertake two journeys of exploration in China, Mon-
golia and Thibet, 1888-92, which brought him into the most intimate contact
with the country people of that vast realm who, far from the influence of the
outside world, preserved their characteristic manners and customs in great
purity. Mr. Rockhill served as chief clerk in the United States State
Department, 1893-94, and from that time on his advancement in the service
was brilliant in the extreme. He served as third assistant Secretary of State,
1894-95, and was first assistant secretary in 1S96-97. In the latter named year
he was appointed minister to Greece, Roumania and Servia by President
McKinley, and went to Athens, in which city he set up his headquarters,
but he resigned from this position in May, 1899. His travels in the Balkan
region and Turkey were extensive and awakened a profound interest on his
part in the peoples of that remote land. After his return to the United

3IO Icailliam COooDtJiIle Kockftill

States, he was appointed to the responsible ofifice of director of the Bureau
of American Republics. Six years he remained in this position, performing
invaluable service to the cause of mutual understanding among the countries
in this hemisphere. In July, 1900, he w^as appointed commissioner of the
United States to China and returned to the scene of his earliest diplomatic
work with great pleasure, his interest in that great civilization having rather
augmented than abated in the intervening years. From February to Sep-
tember, 1901, he served as plenipotentiary of the United States to the
Congress of Pekin, signing the final protocol of September 7, 1901, and in
October, 1901, he resumed duty at the Bureau of American Republics. He
also received the appointment as Ambassador to St. Petersburg, and, after
two years' service, was transferred, at his own request, to Constantinople,
where he remained until relieved by Ambassador Maugenthau. Shortly
afterward he received a request from Yuan Shi Kai, president of the Chinese
Republic, to fill the responsible office of personal adviser of the president,
who was one of the prominent men of his nation with whom Mr. Rockhill
had formed a friendship during his residence in the far east. This request
Mr. Rockhill felt as an honor and hastened to accept, but fate had deter-
mined otherwise and it was while on his voyage across the Pacific Ocean
that the malady that was to prove fatal attacked him. He was obliged to
land in Honolulu and never left that place.

As has already been remarked, Mr. Rockhill's achievements were not by
any means confined to the diplomatic world, although what he did there
was enough to establish his record as one of the leading citizens of his
country, but extended into many other departments where they were equally
distinguished. He had taken advantage of his long residence in eastern
lands to learn maii}^ of ttteir languages and was a most accomplished
linguist, reading and speaking as many as eight tongues among which were
included Chinese and their cognate dialects. He was also regarded as one of
the foremost authorities on the ethnology of these races and an orientalist
of distinction. His reports on various phases of Chinese rvu-al life, some of
them but little known to the outside world, attracted favorable attention
from the Smithsonian Institute, which later twice commissioned him to
make long journeys through the central parts of Asia, especially Thibet, in
the interests of ethnological science. Many of these regions were forbidden
to strangers because of the jealousy and suspicion of the natives, but Mr.
Rockhill was allowed to go and returned laden with stores of the most
important knowledge which he afterwards classified and combined in his
great work on Thibet and several lesser books and monographs. What he
has done for our knowledge of the far east, as he has also done, though on a
slightly smaller scale, for that of the near east also, entitles him to great
credit, and there are but few scholars who have equaled him in the extent
and accuracy of his knowledge of the entire Asiatic continent. He was a
corresponding member of the French Academy (Academic des Sciences et
Belles Lettres) having been admitted to membership in 191 3. He was an
oflicer of the Foreign Legion and served three years in Africa.

Although born in Philadelphia, Mr. Rockhill's life had been spent
almost entirely abroad or in the national capital. The place that he regarded

^iniam mooDtiilU Hocbbill 311

more in the light of home than any other was Litchfield, Connecticut, where
he spent as much of his leisure time as possible and which was the native
place of his wife. He married, April 25, 1900, Edith H. Perkins, daughter
of J. Deming and Margaretta (Dotterer) Perkins.

This necessarily brief article cannot be more appropriately ended than
by the quotation in part of editorials appearing at the time of Mr. Rockhill's
death in two such representative papers as the "New York Post" and the
"Boston Herald." In the course of its remarks the former paper says :

His was an exceptionally useful and varied career. Few Americans have ever
obtained so wide a knowledge of the Far Fast as has come to him during eight years of
diplomatic service in China, in addition to three years in China and Thibet on scientific
expeditions in the interest of the Smithsonian Institution. When it is added that he
served four years in the State Department, was for two years Minister to Greece, Rou-
mania and Servia, and was Ambassador to Russia and Turkey, from 1909 to 191 3, his
remarkable diplomatic experience is evident. For special missions such as the repre-
sentation of the United States in the settlement of the Boxer trouble, he was frequently
called upon.

Said the "Boston Herald:"

Just thirty years ago in the administration of Chester Arthur, William W. Rockhill
entered the diplomatic service of the United States as Secretary of Legation. He has
been either in the Department at Washington or at foreign posts most of the time since
then. This has given him an exceptional experience in diplomacy for an American, and
particularly for one destined to enjoy but sixty years of life. His record, which may be
found in another column, tells an impressive story of preparation, training, capacity.
And in no other line of the world's activity do the advantages of accumulated experi-
ence count for more. It is to be regretted that the Wilson administration saw fit to
break the line of such distinguished service. He had been advanced so regularly during
the two earlier Democratic administrations that many persons thought him a Democrat ;
in reality he was as free from all partisan, sectional and factional impulses as would be
expected of one of his cosmopolitan tastes and training. We need more such men in
our public service, and when we get them we ought to give them an adequate tenure.

% Beming ^erfetns

T IS SELDOM that one can say with absokUe truth that the
labors of the successful man have been, without exception,
of benefit to the community, that his task has been a purely
unselfish and altruistic one, that he has consistently placed
the good of his fellows above his own interest in his heart
and worked for that first and foremost, relegating his own
personal affairs to the background. Yet that such was true
of J. Deming Perkins, of Litchfield, Connecticut, no one who came into even
the remotest contact with him will deny and one of the best witnesses to its
verity was the universal mourning that followed his death on March 20,
1911.

J. Deming Perkins was a member of a fine old New England family and
was connected with many illustrious names on both sides of the house. His
parents were Charles and Clarissa (Deming) Perkins, the father one of the
Norwich family of that name and the mother a daughter of Julius Deming,
for many years the foremost merchant and business man of Litchfield and
related to Bacons, Champions and other prominent families in that region.
J. Deming Perkins was born March 16, 1830, in Litchfield, but did not remain
there long, his childhood and early youth being passed in New York City,
where he gained his education and later engaged in the importing business.
He lived in New York until about 1867, when he came to Litchfield, and
there he threw himself heart and soul into the aftairs of the region and soon
assumed a leading place among the business men of affairs in that part of
the State. Indeed, the advantage of the community became well nigh a
ruling passion with him and from that time onward absorbed the major
part of his attention and time. Perhaps the greatest service he performed
for the place was in connection with its railroad communication with the rest
of the world. The natural advantages of Litchfield and the surrounding
country side fitted it preeminently as a summer resort, but its isolation pre-
vented its charms from being generally known, and those who were aware
of them from taking advantage of their knowledge. This shortcoming it
became the purpose of Mr. Perkins to remedy, truly a herculean task. It
was necessary for him to convince his fellow townsmen, some of them con-
servative enough, of its desirability in the first place, and secondly to per-
form the same conversion for the powers in control of the New Haven &
Hartford Railroad Company, the great concern controlling all the transpor-
tation facilities in the State at that time. Nothing daunted, Mr. Perkins set
about his great enterprise with a will, his powerful and attractive personality
making itself immediately felt. In this work he had a most enthusiastic
and effective colleague in the person of his brother-in-law, Edwin McNeill,
who seconded his efforts indefatigably. Between them they gained the
sympathy and support of the majority of Litchfield's leading men, as well as
those of the surrounding towns of Roxbury, Morris and Washington, and
began an earnest campaign for the accomplishment of their purpose. The

% Deming Perkins 3 1 3

gentlemen thus combined were in control of a very large amount of capital
and eventually were able to finance and build the Shepaug Valley railroad
which the New Haven road later took over and which constitutes the present
Litchfield branch of the road. The difficulties of all kinds being finally
overcome the first train ran over the new rails in January, 1872. Most
appropriately, Mr. Perkins was elected first president of the company and
it was under his most capable management that the concern grew and pros-
pered and with it the town of Litchfield.

Although, as above remarked, this was probably the most far-reaching
in its efifects of all the achievements of Mr. Perkins, there is another with
which his name is even more warmly remembered b}^ his fellow citizens.
This is in connection with the water supply and formation of the fire depart-
ment, with which he was most closely identified, more closely, indeed, than
any other member of the community. His activity in this matter followed
the second of the two fires which in 1886 and 1888 did such great damage
to the town. With his usual energy he pushed matters to a rapid con-
clusion and, as a sort of climax to his efforts, himself built and donated to
the town its present splendid fire house, costing not less than sixty thousand
dollars. But the fire house was not an ordinary structure of the sort, for in
it Mr. Perkins saw an opportunity to embody certain theories of his own for
benefiting the young men of the community. The building thus took on a
character quite unique among similar structures and, indeed, the department
itself became an instrument for many good things besides the extinguish-
ment of fire. It became a sort of club for the young men of so desirable a
kind that its active membership of seventy-five is always filled and there is a
long waiting list. Besides its character of fire house, therefore, the building
assumed that of a club house and general meeting place for young men and
that of a nature to make a particular appeal to most, without the features to
be found in the saloon, on the one hand, or the Young Men's Christian Asso-
ciation on the other. The place was fitted up with accommodations for read-
ing, billiards, pool, cards and games of a similar kind, and possessed a hand-
some bowling alley in attachment. During the remainder of his life Mr. Per-
kins was regarded as the patron and presiding genius of this body, which pre-
sented him on the occasion of his seventy-fifth birthday with a handsome
loving cup, and it is probable that if the average citizen of Litchfield were
asked to point out some one thing most intimately connected with Mr.
Perkins in his town, he would not indicate the railroad station or even his
own handsome residence, but this fire house and meeting place for young
men.

But there were other directions as well as these tangible matters in
which Mr. Perkins served his much beholden town, and not the least of these
was in the realm of politics. He was a strong Republican in his views and
opinions and was closely allied to his party's local organization and was its
staunch supporter, yet he always rose superior to partisan considerations
in his official acts and kept the welfare of the whole community before his
eyes, like the Pole Star to the mariner. For Mr. Perkins held responsible
office in the interests of his fellow citizens, having been elected in the year
1893 to represent the then Twentieth District in the General Assembly of the

314 % Deming l^ctklng

State. He was appointed during his term to the chairmanship of the com-
mittee on State prison. In the year 1896 he was one of the presidential
electors aad was particularly active in the nomination of William McKinley
for the presidency, and was generous of time, effort and money. In 1900 he
was sent as a delegate to the National Convention which renominated Mr.
McKinley, where he once again played a prominent part. Another of his
activities in connection with politics was the founding in Litchfield of the
Republican Club and procuring speakers to address the townspeople under
the auspices of that wide-awake society. Socially Mr. Perkins was a con-
spicuous figure, and was prominently associated with the clubs and other
organization of that kind in Litchfield. He was one of the principal organ-
izers of the Litchfield Club and for years served it on the board of directors
and as its vice-president. He was also a member of the Society of Colonial
Wars, being highly interested in the early history of his native region.
Another organization of a very different kind, however, with which he was
connected, and which illustrates the wide interest he took in all the institu-
tions of the region and his truly charitable intention was the Norwich Hos-
pital for the Insane, of which he was a trustee from the time of its founda-
tion.

On January 16, 1868, Mr. Perkins was united in marriage with Mar-
garetta Dotterer, of Pennsylvania, a daughter of Davis H. and Anne Emlin
(Warner) Dotterer. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Perkins:
Edith H., who became the wife of the Hon. William Woodville Rockhill,
United States Ambassador to Russia and Turkey, of whom a sketch appears
elsewhere in this work; and J. Deming, Jr., who lived to display unusual
brilliancy in his chosen profession of the law, dying in Denver, Colorado,
at the very outset of a splendidly promising career.

Of the personal character of Mr. Perkins, better cannot be done than to
quote from the words of a fellow townsman as they appeared in the obituary
article in the "Litchfield Enquirer" of March 23. 191 1, the first issue after his
death, which ran in part as follows :

To-day all Litchfield mourns. The flags are at half mast and the places of business
closed. The entire town is paying the last tribute of affectionate respect to one who
brought it only honor ; who loved and worked for it all his life ; who gave his time and
his means that it might be a better and happier place in which to live. Rich and poor,
old and young alike, do reverence to our illustrious dead — the Hon. J. Deming Perkins.
As he had lived, so he passed from the scenes of this world to that never ending life of
higher usefulness beyond the grave, peacefully, quietly, happily * * * In writing
of J. Deming Perkins one can but feel the utter inadequacy of a sketch of his life or even
of a personal tribute. He was no ordinary man and lived no ordinary life. He was
essentially of the old school, a most courteous and refined gentleman. His mind and
heart were full of lofty thoughts and aspirations. He was ever doing for others and, as
is so often the case, in many instances it seemed as if his unselfishness were not appre-
ciated as it should have been. The word Litchfield meant a tremendous lot to him. He
had her history at his tongue's end and no one man in this town ever did more, if as
much, as he to preserve its best traditions. He was a real friend to everyone and never
seemed happier than when working for others. He followed close in the footsteps of
the "Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" and was always bearing the burden of
others. The influence of the life of such a man in the community where he lived is that
community's one best asset ; it lasts forever.

MONG THE MANY prominent physicians who have
appeared in the western part of Connecticut during the past
generation, but few have been as well known as Dr. Robert
G. Hassard, whose death at Thomaston on January 21, 1914,
deprived Litchfield county of an active and picturesque
character and the profession of medicine of one of its leaders
in that region.
Dr. Hassard was not a native of Connecticut, but was born in 1842 in
the town of Great Barrington among the most picturesque of the Berkshire
Hills in Massachusetts. He spent but the first five years of his life there, how-
ever, his father dying in 1847 ^"d his mother promptly moving to New Haven,
Connecticut. Here he passed his boyhood, gaining his education at the
Cheshire Academy and later at the Yale Medical School, he having settled
on this profession as a career some time before. He distinguished himself
in his medical courses and was very near the point of graduation when the
Civil War broke out and cut short his plans for the future as it did that of
thousands of others. The first call of the Federal government for troops
took place before the north had fully awakened to the seriousness of the
situation and the term of enlistment was set as three months. Robert G.
Hassard was one of the first to respond. Leaving his studies uncompleted,
he enlisted in April, 1861, in Company D, First Regiment of Connecticut
Volunteer Infantry. During the three months of his enlistment he saw but
little service, and upon being mustered out he hastened back to New Haven
and passed his medical examinations, taking the degree of M. D. with
honors. His graduation from the Yale Medical School occurred in the
summer of 1862, and on October 28th of the same year he again enlisted,
this time in the Nineteenth Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. On
January i following he was mustered in as assistant surgeon of this regi-
ment which was shortly afterwards changed to the Second Connecticut
Heavy Artillery. Sent at once to the front with his regiment, Dr. Hassard
was quickly in the midst of active operations and from that time throughout
the war took part in a number of engagements and saw much hard service.
He was wounded a number of times but managed to escape without severe
injury and was sound in health and limb at the close of the struggle. When
this finally occurred and Dr. Hassard was for a second time mustered out, he
returned at once to the north and settled in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and
there established himself in practice temporarily. Some time later he
removed his home and practice to Brooklyn and Sayville, Long Island, and
for a number of years he did a large and lucrative business there and gained
an enviable reputation for skill and ability. The climate so near the coast
did not, however, agree with him and he was obliged reluctantly to abandon
it and move inland. The place chosen by him to regain his health was the
little town of Harwinton, Connecticut, where he expected to remain only
until he had regained his strength and could renew his practice elsewhere.

3i6 Koftert a. ^assatD

He was persuaded, however, by his friends to remain and take up the prac-
tice of his profession there. He remained five years in that location and was
highly successful. In 1885, however, he removed to Thomaston, and there-
after made that town his home until the time of his death. Besides his
private practice, Dr. Hassard held the oftice of health officer for Thomaston
for some ten years, during which period he accomplished a great deal of
good for the community. During his residence in Thomaston he was affi-
liated with Trinity Church. He always maintained his military associations
and was an active member of Russel Post, Grand Army of the Republic.

On June 9, 1881, Dr. Hassard was united in marriage with Mary L.
Udell, a resident of New York City. Mrs. Hassard survives her husband and
still resides in Thomaston.

n

2RicJ)arli Holmes (S^ap

^ARMINGTON, Connecticut, lost one of its most highly-
esteemed citizens on March i8, 1903, in the death of Richard
Holmes Gay, who, though not himself a native, was a
member of a family long associated with that charming
town, and residents of Connecticut since early Colonial
times.

John Gay, the founder of the family in this country,
came from England and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts, as early as
1630, moving thence to Dedham in the same State, where he died March
4, 1688. At Dedham his descendants continued to live, occupying a promi-
nent place in the community until the early part of the eighteenth century
when another John Gay, the great-grandson of the first of that name,
removed to Litchfield, Connecticut, and later to Sharon. It was a son of
this John Gay, Fisher Gay, who figured so prominently in the Revolution,
serving as lieutenant-colonel in Colonel Wolcott's regiment during the
fighting which led up to the evacuation of Boston by the British, and later
as colonel commanding one of the Connecticut regiments in the campaign
on Long Island and for the occupation of New York, meeting his death in
this service. He was the great-grandfather of Richard Holmes Gay and
was the first of the family to make his home in Farmington. His grandson,
William Gay, the father of Richard Holmes Gay, was born in that town,
but later, at the age of sixteen years, went to Lansingburg, New York, and
then remained a number of years engaged in a mercantile business in
Albany. While living in New York State, he married Ruth Marilda Holmes,
December 30, 1830, a native of Shodack, New York, a daughter of Jotham
and Amy (Knapp) Holmes, old residents of Saratoga, New York. To Mr.
and Mrs. Gay five children were born, as follows : Richard Holmes, of whom
further; Erastus, born July 26, 1843, "ow deceased; Caroline Bement, born
July 18, 1846, now a resident of New York City; William Treadwell, born
September 25, 1850, died in his fifth year; and a boy, born June 27, 185 1, died
in early infancy. Mr. Gay, Sr., returned to Farmington, while still a young
man. and there continued his mercantile business very successfully. He
bought in the town a store long known as the "Little Red Store," established
as early as 1786, and conducted it in a first class manner, building up a large
and prosperous business. His son Erastus later succeeded to this business
and continued its success up to the time of his own death.

Richard Holmes Gay, the eldest son of William and Ruth Marilda
(Holmes) Gay, was born April 7, 1832, in Albany, New York, and there
passed the earliest years of his life. Before he had grown out of childhood,
however, his parents removed to Farmington and took him with them. He
was now of an age to attend school and was sent accordingly to a private
school in Farmington, where he gained an excellent general education. His
father had large interests in Farmington, and was a prominent man there,
owning much valuable real estate, and holding the presidency of the savings

3i8 KicljarD l^olmes <©ap

bank, so that his son had the best advantages. His health as a lad was poor,
however, and at an early age he abandoned his studies and entered his
father's store in the elder man's employ. He was a clever business man
and made himself very useful, but finally decided to attempt an enterprise
of his own in a larger field. He accordingly removed to Hartford, where
he formed a partnership with a Mr. Hastings and engaged in the dry goods
business. From the outset the trade prospered greatly and he became very
well-to-do. Eventually, Mr. Gay retired from this connection and returned
to Farmington, where he became associated with the bank in the capacity of
treasurer. He was very active in the affairs of his town and gained a reputa-
tion for great public spirit. During his stay in Hartford he had become a
member of the Fourth Congregational Church and been elected a deacon,
and on his return to Farmington he joined the Congregational church there
and became very active in the work connected therewith. Mr. Gay was
greatly interested in political questions, and was a keen and intelligent
thinker on the issues with which the country was confronted. He was a
strong adherent of the principles and policies of the Republican party, but
never allowed his partisan feelings to interfere with the exercise of his own
judgment.

Mr. Gay was married, September 25, 1856, in Orange, New Jersey, to
Gertrude Rivington Palmer, a native of Whitehall, Washington county.
New York, and a daughter of Hanloke Woodruff and Mary (Rivington)
Palmer, natives of Albany, New York. They had lived for many years in
Whitehall, New York, where Mr. Palmer was the cashier of the local bank.
The family finally moved to New York City, where Mr. Palmer entered the
stock market and became a member of the exchange. He was a man of
strong religious feelings and beliefs and a prominent member of the Presby-
terian church. His death occurred in Poughkeepsie, New York. To Mr.
and Mrs. Gay were born four children, as follows : i. Mary Rivington, born
August 21, 1857, at Farmington; married, April 28, 1880, to John Stanley
Cowles, to whom she bore two children, Gertrude and Marguerite; she died
February 2, 1892. 2. Margaret Palmer, born December 12, 1858, at Farm-
ington; now a resident of that place. 3. Anna Rivington, born June 30,
1861, at Hartford, Connecticut, died at the age of eight years. 4. Gertrude
Holmes, born October 13, 1874, at Farmington; married. May 18, 1899,
William Kimball, of Bristol, Connecticut, and became the mother of one
charming little daughter, Mary. Mrs. Gay survives her husband and now
resides with her daughter, Miss Margaret P. Gay, in the old home at Farm-
ington, which is not only filled with associations of the early history and
traditions of the region, but reflects the culture and charm of its inmates in
this generation.

Richard Holmes Gay occupied a very prominent place in the life of
Farmington and in the regard of his fellow townsmen., who felt strongly
the influence of his strong, manly character, and honored him accordingly.
His nature was firmly built upon those fundamental virtues which have in
an unusual degree distinguished the New England people in times past and
present. He possessed sincerity, integrity and probity, which went hand in
hand with industry and thrift, and these were enlightened and improved by

ElicfjarD l^olmes (©ap 319

the touch of culture and the cosmopolitan outlook which culture brings. He
shared in the enlig-htenment which has brought the world through
science in this age. but not in the skepticism which seems to have been its
usual accompaniment. His religious life was a very real experience for him,
and he threw himself heart and soul into the cause of the church of which he
was a member, never grudging time, money or effort spent in its behalf. The
prominent position which he occupied in the congregation of the Fourth
Church of Hartford was repeated in the Farmington congregation, where
he held the office of deacon for twenty-five years and was senior deacon
at the time of his death. He possessed the domestic virtues in large measure,
and found great happiness in the wholesome intercourse of the family, and
proved himself a devoted husband and loving father. His friends also found
him true to his professions, and even the most casual associate felt warmed
to him because of his friendly bearing and outspoken, candid manner. It
will be appropriate to let one of them speak for him, one who knew him as
well as any outside of the members of his own household, and who is
peculiarly fitted to know whereof he speaks. The Rev. Mr. J. G. Johnson,
pastor of the Farmington Church, said of him in an address delivered at the
time of his death, and quoted in a Hartford paper : "It was a privilege to know
him, to have the benefit of his kind and loving disposition ; there was never a
blot on his fine character and if there was a man without sin, he was that
man. All who knew him mourn his death."

^SaiUiam (S^rap

•HE INVENTIVE GENIUS of New Englanders has played
no small part in the wonderful material advancement made
by human society during- the last half century. There is
scarcely a department of life in which inventors of this part
of the world have not labored with the most striking results,
and in vast numbers they have led the world. It entirely
eludes the imagination what the state of affairs would be
today had they not labored and wrought, for invention leads to invention
so that without many of the wonderful devices whole systems of collateral
and dependent inventions would have failed of their very being and we
should at the present time possess a far less complete mastery over the forces
of nature than, as a matter of fact, we do enjoy today. It is very fitting,
therefore, that we should not miss any opportunity of honoring the names of
these clever men who have toiled for our benefit, or of acknowledging our
debt of gratitude by commemorating their names to the best of our ability.
It is of one of these versatile geniuses that it is the business of this brief
sketch all inadequately to treat, William Gray with a number of valuable
inventions to his credit, whose death in the city of Hartford on January 25,
1903, deprived that city of one of its leading citizens.

William Gray was born December 17, 1850, at TarifTville, Connecticut,
a son of Neil and Mary (Simpson) Gray, well known residents of that place.
He passed but a few years in the town of his birth, the business of his father,
which was that of bridge builder, necessitating a change of residence, and
the whole family removed to Boston while he was still a mere lad. He
attended the schools of the city, and upon completing his studies secured
a position in a large drug establishment. It was his father's intention that
he should learn this business, but as time went on he discovered that his
heart was not in it at all, that he could awaken no interest in the matter, and
he very wisely decided to abandon it and try his hand at something else.
Instead of opposing, his father fully concurred in this determination, and the
more so, as the young man exhibited marked signs of the inventive pro-
clivity that afterwards distinguished him. His next position was more after
his heart and was indeed the very place where his abilities had the best
opportunity to display themselves. It was a machine shop in which he
was located and he quickly demonstrated his value to his new employers,
both by the skill and dexterity of his manual work and his ingenuity in over-
coming difiiculties. He did not remain a great while in this employ, how-
ever, for shortly afterwards he received an offer from the great Colt Manu-
facturing Company to take a position in the arms factory and this he at once
accepted. He worked as a polisher for some time until he became an expert
in that line, and some time subsequently received a still better offer from the
Pratt & Whitney Machine Company to take charge of the polishing depart-
ment. Here he remained for a period of fifteen or sixteen years and during
that period developed many of the inventions with which his name is asso-

llilliam <bvuv

muiiam (Qtup 321

ciated. One of the earliest of these, a simple matter, was the means never-
theless of making- him a very handsome pecuniary return. This was the
sand-handle baseball bat, a device to prevent that instrument from slipping
in the hands of its wielder and which he patented and sold to the great
sporting goods establishment of Spaulding in Chicago. Another thing
devised by him along the same line was the inflatable chest guard for
catchers in that game, and this has since come into practically universal use
and brought in handsome returns to Mr. Gray. The first of these articles
was worn in a baseball game in the city of Hartford and its inventor had
the satisfaction of witnessing the first demonstration of its good qualities.
More in line with his own immediate occupation was what has been called
the Gray belt shifter, for rapidly changing the direction and character in
steam and electric power transferred by belting. This very clever arrange-
ment he sold to his own employers, the Pratt & Whitney people. Perhaps
the most successful of all Mr. Gray's inventions, however, was the telephone
pay station for public booths, a device which greatly increased the receipts of
the telephone company, especially in rural districts, and meant a very com-
fortable fortune for Mr. Gray. It soon became possible for him to retire from
more active business on the income derived from these and other inventions
and devote himself entirely to the inventive work that he loved above all
other things. Unfortunately, at the same time his health began to fail, and
after a period of several years of progressively increasing invalidism, he
finally yielded to the advance of his trouble, his death occurring when he was
but fifty-two 3^ears of age.

Mr. Gray was a man of wide interests and sympathies and strong social
instincts and played a prominent part in the general life of the community
of which he was a member. He was always attracted by military matters
and when a very young man joined the militia of his State, enlisting in
Company G, First Regiment Connecticut National Guard, known at that
time as the Buckingham Rifles. Captain Joseph H. Barnum. He was after-
wards transferred to Company H. Hartford Light Guard, in which body he
rose to the rank of lieutenant. Besides these associations, he was also
prominently connected with the Hartford Lodge, No. 19, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks.

Mr. Gray was twice married and his second wife, who was Louise
Bubser, of Hartford, and to whom he was united August 21, 1879, survives
him and is still a resident of Hartford. Four children also survive him, as
follows: Elizabeth E., now Mrs. L. S. Caswell, of New York City; Wil-
helmina Louise, now the wife of F. F. Spencer, of West Hartford, and the
mother of one child, Frederick F.. born February 28, 1914; Raymond N., and
Mabel A., at home.

Mr. Gray possessed that quiet, self-possessed and thoughtful air that
we instinctively associate with the scientist and inventor and which is
usually the indication of a strong personality and character. But while
he thus bore the marks of the thinker about him, he was also, as a matter of
fact, an alert business man, a man of the world, a man of aflfairs, as those
who dealt with him were quick to learn. The basis of his character, as it

CONH-VoI III -21

322

William ($tap

must be of all really worthy character, was an essential honesty of stand-
point that directed and controlled his whole career, making of it some-
thing- that might well be held up as an example to the youth of the com-
munity. Practical and alert in business matters as he was, he never forgot
the rights and interests of others in following his own, and an appeal to him
from one in need always drew a ready and generous response. Nor were his
relations in the midst of his family and personal friends less praiseworthy
than these more general ones, and as a father and husband his conduct was
as commendable as it was as a citizen and a man.

gjplbester Clarfe Bunljam

PON FOUNDATIONS, strong and true, laid by the founder,
James G. Batterson, his successor, Sylvester Clark Dunham,
carried to completion that business so magnificent in its
proportions, so far reaching in its philanthropy, known
to the world as The Travelers' Insurance Company of Hart-
ford. He came to the Travelers' in 1885 when that com-
pany's growing business made it advisable to have a lawyer
as member of the home office force, and as general counsel carried the com-
pany through many periods of attack from vicious legislation and litigation.
He became a member of the board of directors, January 2"], 1897, vice-
president, January i, 1899, his election in accordance with his selection by
President Batterson as his logical successor. Mr. Batterson died September
5, 1901, and on October 14, following, Mr. Dunham was elected president.

He was a remarkably able man, had a real genius for organization, and
the faculty of retaining and strengthening the respect and afifection of the
army of associates and helpers of which he was officially the head. Fairness
was an element of his character and he was immovable in maintaining the
reign of justice and fair play in the great company which prospered so
marvelously under his leadership. He had made his own way to eminence
by diligence, industry, fidelity and scrupulous integrity, and when these
qualities were found in another, they always received recognition from him.
His broad mind permitted a benevolent view of mankind and his life is a
lesson of enlightened citizenship worthy of study and emulation.

He sprang from honored ancestry traced through eighteen generations
to Rychard Dunham, of record in Devonshire, England, in 1294. John
Dunham, of the eleventh recorded generation, was the founder of the family
in America. He was born in Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, in 1589. Scrooby
was the birthplace of Elder William Brewster, another of the Pilgrim
Fathers, and it was at Scrooby that the Pilgrim church was organized. The
religious persecution that drove the Pilgrims to America also caused, it is
claimed by the family historian, John Dunham to change his name tempor-
arily and that he is the John Goodman who came over in the "Mayflower"
and signed the "compact." A son John (2) born in Leyden, Holland, about
1620, was succeeded by John (3), he by a son Ebenezer, whose son Ebenezer
(2) was the father of Jonathan Dunham, a captain in the Revolutionary
army. Ralph, son of Captain Jonathan Dunham, was the father of Jonathan
Lyman Dunham, born at Mansfield, Tolland county, Connecticut, Novem-
ber 15, 1814, died February 25, 1886, who married, June 9, 1844, Abigail
Hunt Eldridge. She was the daughter of Elijah Eldridge and traced her
ancestry to Elder William Brewster and to John Hopkins of the "May-
flower" Company. Jonathan Lyman Dunham had two sons, Edwin Lyman,
and Sylvester Clark Dunham, whose recent death brought sorrow to the
entire city of Hartford.

From so distinguished an ancestry came Sylvester Clark Dunham, born

324 ^glticgtcr Clark SDtinftam

in Mansfield, Connecticut, April 24, 1846, died at his home, No. 830 Prospect
avenue, Hartford, after a very short illness, October 26, 191 5. His parents
moved to Portage, Ohio, in 1857, and there he resided until 1865 w^hen he
returned to Connecticut. Those eight years wrere spent in acquiring an
education in farming and in teaching school. He was ambitious and v^^illing,
endured the sacrifices necessary to compass a year at Mount Union College.
This with his public school and academy study was his institutional train-
ing, his education being largely through self study, literary society member-
ship and a wide course of reading of the best authors. Dickens and Shake-
speare especially furnishing him pleasure and benefit. He taught from 1863
until 1865, then returned to his native State, entered the State Normal School
at New Britain, whence he was graduated at the head of the class of 1867.

After graduation he combined journalistic work with the study of law,
became editor of the "New Britain Record," was clerk of the city and police
court for three years also prosecuting legal study in the office of Charles E.
Mitchell, of New Britain. In 1871 he was admitted to the Hartford county
bar, located in the city of Hartford, formed an association with Henry C.
Robinson, with whose office he was allied until 1883. In 1882 and 1883 he
was city attorney, and after completing his term returned to New Britain
where for one year he was secretary of the P. & F. Corbin Company. His
interest in the Corbin industries and their successor, the American Hard-
ware Company, did not terminate with his resignation as secretary, but
continued all his life being at the time of his death a director of the last
named. During these years Mr. Dunham had acquired high reputation as a
lawyer, being particularly successful in cases requiring research and deep
study to unravel their intricacies. He had grown with the years, and when
in 1885 the Travelers' Insurance Company of Hartford, found it advisable
to add a legal department to their growing business, President Batterson
selected Mr. Dunham for the position of general counsel. He was officially
appointed at a directors meeting held November 2, 1885, and at once re-
moved his residence from New Britain to Hartford, that city being his home
ever afterwards.

As general counsel for the Travelers' he acquired intimate and con-
fidential knowledge of the company's affairs and was adviser concerning
contract forms, how litigation could be avoided and conducting it when
necessary. His work took him to almost every State in the Union and to
Mexico, his most important case being the widely discussed Colorado litiga-
tion. The Travelers' had invested largely in irrigation projects in the San
Juan and other valleys of Colorado in 1885, and later became involved in
litigation through the operations of the Colorado Loan and Trust Company
that threatened serious loss. Suit was brought against the Travelers' for
more than $1,000,000 and was pending when Mr. Dunham became general
counsel for the company. He gave the case practically his entire time and
during its life of seven years, made twenty-seven trips to Colorado, a State
at that time unscrupulous in its treatment of eastern capital. It was believed
at the time that the Travelers' would lose heavily and its "dry ditches" in
Colorado were spoken of in derision by rival companies. But in the end Mr.
Dunham brought the case to successful issue, recovering complete title to

^pltiestet Clarb Dunftam 325

70,000 acres arable land in Colorado, the irrigating canals carrying water to
them and a judgment for $90,000. Other companies shared in this victory
and Mr. Dunham was appointed secretary-treasurer of the holding com-
panies formed to hold titles to the lands, the Travelers' being the principal
stockholder in those companies.

Such service, combined with his intimate acquaintance with financial
interests, insurance law, history and general policy of the Travelers', logic-
ally rendered his connection with the directorate of the company desirable.
He was elected director, January 27, 1897, vice-president, January 11. 1899,
president, October 14, 1901.

Up to this point Mr. Dunham's service to the Travelers' had been as a
subordinate, although given the freest exercise of his own judgment, and
supreme authority in the legal department. He was now at the head of a
great institution, in command of an army of subordinates, officials and pri-
vates, the interests of thousands of policy holders to be conserved, assets of
$33,000,000 to be safeguarded, and an aggressive policy to be continued for
the acquisition of new business. As he had met every situation in life so
he met this, squarely, bravely, wisely and honorably. He became a great
insurance leader, familiar with every difficult problem of the business, and
was sought in counsel far and near. He shared the burdens that fell upon
his associates, who served him willingly with respect, affection and effi-
ciency. He held true to the strictest principles of integrity, possessed a clear
perception of what was good, what was true, what was honest, with strength
and courage to live and act accordingly. He was always courteous and kind,
sympathetic, patient and forebearing; careful to see that fair treatment
was accorded every one with whom he came in contact. He was a worthy
successor to the founder and president, Mr. Batterson, and by training well
qualified to lead and direct the Travelers' fortunes. Poise and amiability
were strong elements of his character and to his pleasing personality, added
the virtues that made him a prince among men ; a great financier, controlling
at his death a company whose assets of $33,000,000 had grown during his
fourteen years of administration to $100,000,000.

While his business crown will ever be his management of the Travelers'
he had other important connections in the manufacturing and financial
world. He was an ex-president of American Board of Casualty and Surety
Underwriters, a leading member of the association of Life Insurance Presi-
dents, president of the Travelers' Bank and Trust Company, vice-president
of the National Exchange Bank of Hartford, and a director of the Metro-
politan Bank and American Surety Company, both of New York City, the
United Gas and Electric Corporation, the American Hardware Company of
New Britain, the Glastonbury Knitting Company of Glastonbury, the
Phoenix Fire Insurance Company, the Hartford City Gas Light Company,
Colts Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company, the Underwood Type-
writer Company, and the First Reinsurance Company of Connecticut.

Outside the realm of business Mr. Dunham was well known, his genial
social nature leading into various clubs while his patriotic ancestry opened
wide the doors of the societies basing their membership upon Colonial resi-
dence or Revolutionary service. In 1903-1904 he lectured at Yale Univer-

326 ^pltoestet Clarb Dunljam

sity, a series of special lectures on the science of insurance, appearing also in
book form. He served his city as water commissioner from 1893 to 1895
inclusive, and in 1910-1911 M^as a member of the board of finance. In
religious faith he was a Congregationalist, and in political affiliation a
Republican. His societies were the Society of Mayflower Descendants, the
Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth branch of the Connecticut Society, Sons of the
Revolution, the Order of Founders and Patriots. His clubs were the Hart-
ford Golf, Farmington Country, Twentieth Century, of which he was an
ex-president, and the Union League, the latter of New York City.

Mr. Dunham married, October 18, 1877, Mary Mercy, daughter of Dr.
James H. Austin, of Bristol, who survives him with one son, Donald Austin
Dunham, a graduate of Yale, class of "03," now assistant secretary of the
Travelers' Insurance Company. He married Edna J. Halstead. of New York
City, and has two children, Sylvia W. and Donald Austin, Jr.

3acob S^pman (Greene

OYALTY, COURAGE, GENTLENESS and an abiding sense
of justice and duty are the qualities which, perhaps above
all others, we should pick out as forming the keystone of
Colonel Jacob Lyman Greene's character, a character that
for many years exerted a wholesome and uplifting influence
upon the community that was fortunate enough to count him
as a member and upon the development of one of the
greatest of American enterprises — life insurance. The careers of many men
are easy of treatment by the chronicler for the reason that their labors
have been directed in one particular channel, towards one prime objective
which may at once be singled out as the essential matter of their lives about
which all other circumstances may be grouped, by which they be measured.
In the case of Colonel Greene, however, so great was his versatility, so
numerous the spheres of activity in which he distinguished himself, that it
would perhaps be difficult to accord any one of them the place of paramount
importance and significance in his life.

Jacob Lyman Greene was a native of Maine, where, in the picturesque
town of Waterford, he was born August 9, 1837. He was a son of Captain
Jacob H. and Sarah W. (Frye) Greene, both members of well known New
England families, the mother being a descendant of Major-General Joseph
Frye of the Revolutionary army, who distinguished himself in that momen-
tous struggle, serving under General Washington. In the son's character
there was a large measure of both his parents, as we find them described,
their strong and somewhat contrasted qualities being mutually modified in
him. The father, a man of somewhat stern nature originally, the result of
generations of puritan ancestors, had himself been trained in that atmos-
phere, and bequeathed his son a strong will and deep religious convictions
which never left him. From his mother, who was a most gracious and
lovable personality, the softer traits of character came, modifying some-
what the uncompromising type of his beliefs, though, in so far as those of
a religious nature were concerned, they were rather deepened than otherwise
by his maternal inheritance. The parents were in very moderate circum-
stances and made many sacrifices for their children's welfare, and these in
return denied themselves much for their elders. Their life was spent on the
elder Mr. Greene's farm, a property situated among the highlands of that
part of the State, where, if the work was hard, the life was healthy. Certain
it is that the growing lad thrived in his environment, mentally and phy-
sically, and grew rapidly to a strong and wholesome manhood. The life led
by our farmers has often been thought poor and meagre, their children to-
day are seeking the cities as a relief from hard work and loneliness, yet it
would be difficult to show any training to-day, however great modern im-
provements may appear, that has given to the world so large a body of well
trained men, mentally as well as physically, men of self control and resource,
men capable of turning their hands and brains to anything, from following

328 3iacolJ Lpman accenc

the plow to commanding an army or presiding over the destinies of a nation.
Such was the earl}^ discipline of Colonel Greene nor were its characteristic
effects tardy in showing themselves. He early developed a strong ambition
to succeed in life and it became his first great object to secure such an educa-
tion as would place him with no handicap against him in the race for this
goal. His first schooling was necessarily in the rather primitive local
schools, but here his purpose and determination stood him in good stead so
that he gained more than the average pupil from the inadequate courses and
eventually prepared himself for college. It had been his intention for some
time past to take up the law as a profession and with this end in view he
attended the law department of the University of Michigan and was later
admitted to the bar. It was not the will of fate, however, that he should
devote himself to this profession, in which his versatile talents would doubt-
less have caused him to shine, nor, indeed, to any peaceful occupation for
some years to come. The dreadful cloud of civil strife had long been gather-
ing and now culminated in that great war which threatened the integrity of
the beloved Union and did in fact rock it to the foundations. The young
man did not hesitate as to his duty, but enlisted in Company G, Seventh
Regiment of Michigan Infantry with the rank of first lieutenant. This was
on August 22, 1861, he having not even taken the time to return to his home
before his departure for the front. He was honorably discharged January
28, 1862. On July 14, 1863, he again entered the service with the commission
of captain in the Sixth Michigan Cavalry Regiment, but he was not miistered
in at that time. On September 4th of the same year he served as assistant
adjutant-general. He was taken prisoner and held for a time in Libby
Prison and several other places, but was finally paroled toward the latter
part of the year 1864. He served in a number of campaigns, both as assist-
ant adjutant-general and in the line and was brevetted lieutenant-colonel,
March 13, 1865, "for distinguished gallantry at the battle of Trevilian Sta-
tion, Virginia, and faithful and meritorious services during the war." He
served with General Custer from September 4th. He also served as chief-of-
staft' to Major-General George A. Custer during the latter's campaign in
Louisiana and Texas. Mustered out and finally discharged from the service
March 20, 1866, at the close of the war. Colonel Greene's distinguished serv-
ices to his country were brought to an end and another phase in his life was
about to begin.

In the troublous times immediately succeeding the termination of hos-
tilities Colonel Greene returned to the north and at first made his home in
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where his elder brother, Dr. William Warren
Greene was at that time living. This gentleman was prominently connected
with the Berkshire Life Insurance Company besides being one of the leading
physicians of the city. At the instance of his brother Colonel Greene entered
the employ of this concern, where he very soon rendered himself of so much
value that he attracted the notice of the heads of the company. He was
soon recalled from his agency to the principal office of the company and
there made assistant secretary. In the capacity as secretary he gave a great
deal of time to the study of his subject and soon became a recognized
authority thereon, many articles from his pen appearing on the various

3laco& Lpman ©teenc 329

departments of insurance and actuarial problems. He would doubtless have
risen higher in the Berkshire Company had not these articles attracted the
attention of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company of Hartford,
and brought him an offer of the assistant secretaryship of that large con-
cern. This Colonel Greene accepted and removed to the Connecticut city in
June, 1870, where, indeed, he was to spend the remainder of his life. The
following year he was elected secretary, and in 1878 became president, hold-
ing the latter office until the time of his death. It was characteristic of
Colonel Greene that having once taken up this new work, he gave to it the
best that was in him so that its problems became the most interesting to
him and its demands the most imperative next to those which he acknowl-
edged as a Christian and a citizen. His ideals as expressed in the policy of
the great company over whose affairs he presided, were very high and might
well stand as models today. It was a firm conviction of his that the insur-
ance company existed for the sole purpose of insuring its policy holders,
with no ulterior purposes whatsoever, that its obligations were exclusively
to these and stopped short with the paying of losses, and furthermore that
the principle of mutuality should alone operate in its control. These purely
disinterested notions were not by any means uncombatted and he met some
strong opponents in the insurance world, but they have one by one disap-
peared while the principles enunciated by Colonel Greene have been accepted
as standard in insurance circles all the world over, however far the practice
may sometimes depart from them. He wrote many articles on the subject
and his yearly reports to his company are looked upon as models of their
kind. He was naturally looked up to as one of the leading citizens of Hart-
ford and his judgment so highly prized that it was consulted by all sorts of
people in every manner of contingency.

The pen of Colonel Greene was a rarely powerful one and was always
devoted, in the language of the Rt. Rev. Bishop Brewster, "to high and gen-
erous purposes." He was a man of profound knowledge of financial prin-
ciples and more than once exerted himself in the defence of what he believed
sound business policies. One of these occasions was during the agitation
over the silver question, when he opposed with all his might the proposition
to make that metal a standard of currency value on a par with gold. "Bi-
metallism, or the Double Standard," "Our Currency Problems," "The Silver
Question," and "What is 'A Sound Currency'?" are among the articles
written by him on this subject and which, in the form of reprints, were cir-
culated in all parts of the country and proved among the most effective
refutations of the popular financial heresy of the time. Aside from such
valuable service as this in the cause he believed in Colonel Greene did not
take an active part in politics and refused all offers of public office. The
deeply religious nature of Colonel Greene has already been hinted at. He
was a lifelong member of the Episcopal church and was "the representative
layman" in the conventions held in the Diocese of Connecticut. The number
of institutions industrial, financial, educational, scientific, of which he was
a member was very large, and so conscientious was he that he neglected none
of them but fulfilled his obligations to all with completeness. Among these
should especially be mentioned the venerable Trinity College of Hartford

330 3Iacoli Lpman (Steenc

of which he was secretary of the board of trustees, and in the service of
which he devoted a great amount of time and efifort.

The death of Colonel Greene, which occurred on March 29, 1905, in his
sixty-eighth year, was the occasion of a remarkable demonstration on the
part of the community with which he had been so long and intimately identi-
fied. The whole city seemed to unite in an expression of mingled praise and
grief ; the institutions of which he had been a member passed resolutions, the
prominent citizens all gave public testimony of their regard and afifection,
and the press of the State joined in the universal chorus, with an unanimity
rarely shown, but which the character of its subject rendered only fitting.
During his life Colonel Greene had always held his pen ready to honor the
memories of worthy fellow citizens and to champion those to whom he felt
less than due honor had been given, as his delightful booklet on General
William B. Franklin so admirably illustrates, and it was most appropriate
that his own memory should have been similarly honored. It will be a fitting
close for this brief sketch, to quote from a few of the more important of these
memorials, which illustrate as nothing else can the regard which the com-
munity felt for its departed member. From the long memorial resolutions
adopted by the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, Colonel
Greene's home company, as it were, the following is typical :

The best asset in a community is its strong men, men of honor, of integrity and
courage, of loyalty to Church and State, men who stand for righteousness, for charity to
their fellows and interest in their welfare, for fair play in society, in civic aflfairs, in poli-
tics, and who abhor subterfuges and chicanery and self-seeking.

These are the men of real moral worth, usually unconscious of the influence they
carry with them, who give character to a city at home and abroad, and whose conspic-
uous virtues and abilities make them mighty forces amid the general multitude. No one
who knew him, here or elsewhere, questions that among these men of power stood
Colonel Greene. All men accord him that distinction.

From the vestry of Trinity Church came a tribute of which the follow-
ing is a part :

* * * In all our deliberations his wise counsel and sane leadership followed the
lines of lofty principle and never for a moment swerved either to the right hand or to
the left. His clear spiritual vision carried him straight to the heart of every problem,
and eventually led to its proper solution.

With these strong qualities went a sympathy of mind and a broad compassion,
which embraced not only those nearest to him, but all others who had a claim upon his
help. It is not for us to measure the benefactions of a man who did not permit his left
hand to know what his right hand was doing, and yet we cannot forbear to say how
much his benevolent spirit and generous help enriched not only this parish, but bene-
fitted countless enterprises as well as individuals who turned to him for aid.

The tribute of his close personal friend. Bishop Brewster, has already
been most briefly quoted, the following being a longer excerpt :

* * * Over and above these relations I shall always think of him as the brave
soldier who carried the cavalryman's dash into everything he did, the man sagacious and
able in matters of finance and of executive administration, the public-spirited citizen, the
writer and orator, always devoting voice and pen to high and generous purposes, the
warm-hearted and open-handed friend of his brother men, the high-minded Christian
gentleman. * * * God has taught us much through this brave soldier-saint, this
modern example of chivalrous knighthood, this illustration of citizenship in the kingdom
of God and of the church's royal priesthood.

31acob Lpman ©reene 331

It is impressive to consider these whole-hearted tributes and many-
others of the same character from men and institutions standing them-
selves so high in popular esteem, but perhaps the most convincing evidence
of all of the man's sterling virtues and unwravering honor is to be found in
his own words, written under what must have been a bitter temptation to
do otherwise, as quoted in the sermon of the Rev. Mr. Twichell, preached
shortly after the other's death. The whole extract follows:

During the prolonged suspension of the exchange of prisoners in the Civil War,
occasioned by the refusal of the Confederate government to exchange negro soldiers of
the Union that had fallen into its hands, a proposal was made by the authorities of that
government to the whole body of Union prisoners of all ranks to send a delegation of
their number, under parole to Washington to induce, if possible, the United States gov-
ernment to consent to the resumption of exchange, but of white men only.

At that time Colonel Greene, then a captain, and for several weary months a pris-
oner, was confined at Macon, Georgia. Some of his fellow captives, in their misery,
despairing of deliverance, were disposed to accept the proposal and set about taking
measures accordingly. But there were others, young cavalry Captain Greene among
them, who were of a diflferent view. Which view he, on behalf of those who shared it
with him, expressed in a paper to be signed by them, addressed to President Lincoln
and Secretary of State Stanton, in which they said (I give his own words from an
account of the affair furnished me in writing, some years since for use in a Memorial
Day address) that, while it was their earnest desire to serve in the field rather than lie
and die in inaction, they recognized the necessity that the government should keep equal
faith with all who served under its flag ; that its faith and honor were more than all else
and were pledged to these colored men ; and they did not desire the government to break
that faith for their benefit ; rather would they take their evil fortune with what patience
they might and bide the event.

Such was Jacob L. Greene in his youth, and such he was to the end of his days. He
counted not the cost of any fidelity. Whatsover things were true, honest, just, pure, of
good report, he loved. They entered into the ideal of the manhood to which he aspired.

3(o|)n Igaatfetnson (S^rap

T IS WONDERFUL how an idea, apparently most simple,
will often change the whole course of a great industry — nay,
create new ones not dreamed of before, and profoundly
modify many of the circumstances of our daily life. We
shall find, however, if we stop to think of it that such seem-
ingly simple thoughts are by no means the most apt to occur
to our minds, that simple is by no means synonymous with
ease, that, as a matter of fact, the simple things of life are the most profound
and the most baffling. The story of how a simple invention wrought the
great changes hinted at above is contained in the record of the life and
career of John Watkinson Gray, of Hartford, Connecticut, whose untimely
death in that city on June i, i8q2, deprived the community of a most striking
figure and himself of some of the fairest fruits of his well earned success.

John Watkinson Gray was a native of Hartford, born there March 19,
1851. of the splendid stock by whose courage and industry, enterprise ancj
intelligence the present great prosperity of the New England States has
been built up. The Gray family is one of a small group of families that have
made Hartford their home since its founding in 1636 by the Rev. Thomas
Hooker. It was one of that doughty clergyman's scarcely less doughty fol-
lowers who founded the family in this country, Ebenezer Gray, from whom
our subject is descended in the seventh generation. Another of his dis-
tinguished ancestors was Colonel Ebenezer Gray, who behaved himself with
distinction as an ofiicer in the war for freedom. Mr. Gray's father, John
Smith Gray, was a prominent citizen of Hartford, connected as a silent
partner with the large hardware house of Tracy & Tarbox. His wife was a
Miss Mary Watkinson, born in Hartford, a daughter of Robert W^atkinson,
a native of England.

The childhood of Mr. Gray was passed in the usual pursuits of that age
and principally in obtaining an education in the excellent public schools of
his native city. Graduating from the high school where he had prepared
himself for a college course, he matriculated in the year 186S at Trinity Col-
lege and there won considerable renown as a scholar. Graduating with the
class of 1872 he at once found employment in the hardware establishment
of his father's partners, Tracy & Tarbox, and there gained a large experience
with business principles and methods that was invaluable to him in after
years. He remained but a year with this concern, however, and his next
experience was in 1874 when he bought out the Goodyear rubber establish-
ment and engaged in that business on his own account. He started a factory
for the manufacture of the goods he dealt in, but at first, most wisely, did all
on a small scale until he became acquainted with his market and had gotten
all the detail working accurately. Rubber goods for use in all kinds of
mechanical devices were his specialty, and the cleverness and ingenuity of
some of these soon directed his own original mind to the problem of these
uses. His first invention was an epoch making one. It was nothing more

3iOf)n Miatkinson (©tap 333

or less than the solid rubber tire for the wheels of vehicles. His first applica-
tion of this simple but revolutionary device was to the wheels of bicycles,
but its splendid results there at once suggested to his fertile mind its appli-
cation elsewhere. The advantages of the rubber tire do not need to be
urged, in fact, so obvious are they that even then, in spite of the human
habit of looking askance at the unfamiliar, not much persuasion was
required. Quickly the business grew to gigantic proportions and Mr. Gray
found himself on the fair road to immense wealth. But even this was not
all. Mr. Gray had been already manufacturing several kinds of rubber
tubing, some of the machinery for the manufacture of which was his own
invention. His thoughts were directed to this tubing and its uses at about
the time his tires were beginning to win their great recognition and out of
the combination arose first the idea of the cushion and then of the pneumatic
tire. Against the latter his friends and associates were strongly arrayed,
urging him to give up the idea of its manufacture, their idea being that it was
likely to involve him in losses which would negative the results of his former
success. But strong in his faith in so sterling a device, he disregarded these
warnings with results which almost instantly justified his judgment. He
had already the contract to supply the great Pope Manufacturing Company
with all the tires used in the manufacture of their various forms of vehicles,
and now this progressive concern adopted the pneumatic tire idea with
avidity. Mr. Gray began to witness his products traveling to all parts of the
earth and was already regarded as one of the wealthiest and most successful
of Connecticut merchants when his death came at the age of only forty-one
years. Had his life been spared there is little doubt that he would have
been one of the best known figures in the business world as well as one of
the richest men in the country for his patent soon became of inestimable
value and from his one business grew up one of the great industries of the
United States. Indeed, in one sense, it was his invention that made the
automobile a practical possibility, a change in transportation methods rising
therefrom which it would be difficult to overestimate. After his death Mrs.
Gray sold the business to the Pope Manufacturing Company and it now
forms the tire department of that concern.

A man who, like Mr. Gray, becomes involved in some great movement
is apt to find that the demands it makes upon his time, energies and atten-
tion are of so imperative a nature that other claims have in a measure to be
neglected. Its sweep and momentum are so great that it carries one along
with it, sometimes even against one's will. In the last particular, it is true,
this was not the case with Mr. Gray. He was quite wrapped up in his work
and the problems that it involved, problems that his inventive genius found
particularly appealing, but the rest of the proposition applies to him as to
others in his position and he found but little time for other matters. There
was always one thing, however, for which he made the opportunity and that
was the matter of his religion. His religious instincts and beliefs were strong
and he took an active part in church matters. He was a lifelong member of
Trinity Episcopal Church in Hartford and did much to support its work and
the many philanthropic movements in connection therewith. Of an ex-
tremely attractive presence and manner, Mr. Gray was also a great favorite

334 3Iol)n COatkinson ®rap

in the social circles in which he moved and his ability as a musician made
him doubly in demand, but the time that he could give to these pastimes was
at best limited. It was the same in politics. Strongly interested in the polit-
ical issues of the day and a staunch supporter of the Republican party, he
was quite unable to enter the local activities of his party, far less to run for
office as his talents so well fitted him.

Mr. Gray was married, on April 8, 1875. to Clara M. Bolter, of Hartford,
a daughter of James and Mary (Bartholomew) Bolter, her father being one
of the best known financiers in the State. On both sides of the house she
is descended from distinguished families, and in one line traces her ancestry
back to the time of William the Conqueror in England. To Mr. and Mrs.
Gray were born three children: Robert Watkinson, Mary Bartholomew
and Clara. Robert Watkinson Gray is a graduate of Trinity College of the
class of 1898. To him has descended his father's inventive ability and he
has already distinguished himself by bringing out that useful and ingenious
device, the "universal joint" and the Gray marine engine. Mary Bartholo-
mew Gray is now the wife of Professor Walter Boughton Pitkin, of
Columbia University, and resides in Dover, New Jersey. Clara Gray is now
Mrs. William Gildersleeve, of Gildersleeve, Connecticut.

1

i

3ames iSolter

COLLECTION OF the lives of the great industrial leaders,
merchants and financiers of Hartford, Connecticut, of the
past generation would make one of the most important
chapters in the history of American business and would cer-
tainly form one of the most cogent arguments for those
stricter business ideals of the past, displaying, as it would,
the splendid successes, the great and permanent qualities of
the institutions founded securely upon these principles as on a rock. The
scrupulousness, the punctilliousness in every point of honor habitiual in those
days have grown slightly out of fashion to-day, when the motto is that busi-
ness is business and we smile in rather a tolerant mood for those who profess
consideration for their competitors or even for their patrons, yet the day
scarcely passes that some crash in the business world does not point the moral
that the old standards were the best, and that what they may have lacked in
speed they more than made up in safety. We might search far indeed with-
out finding a better example of these fine old men of business who, placing
their honor before their success, insured the latter, than James Bolter, for
twenty-five years the honored head of the Hartford National Bank, whose
death in Hartford on September 6, 1900, deprived that city of one of its
most distinguished citizens, and the New England financial world of one of
its leading figures.

James Bolter was the fourth and youngest child of William and Nancy
(Pomeroy) Bolter, of Northampton, Massachusetts, where his father was
engaged in carriage making most of his life. He had originally come from
Norfolkshire, England, in early youth and settled in Northampton, where he
lived and died. On his mother's side of the house Mr. Bolter was descended
from very illustrious stock, the family tracing its descent back through the
Pomeroys of Devonshire to the time of William the Conqueror. Nor was it
only in the mother country that the name has gained lustre, for Pomeroys
have distinguished themselves in this country, in the Colonial and Revolu-
tionary periods as well as in more modern times. In the possession of its
members to-day there are old letters, handed down as heirlooms, of the
greatest possible value and interest from those old days when the winning
of the continent was but just begun. From General Seth Pomeroy there is
a collection of letters describing the French and Indian War in which he
was engaged and one of them describing to Lieutenant Daniel Pomeroy's
widow the death of her husband in an engagement of that time.

James Bolter was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, June 27, 1815,
and passed the years of his childhood and youth there. He obtained his
education in the local public schools, and shortly after completing his studies
went west. On this occasion he spent a couple of years in St. Louis, Mis-
souri. He returned east and in 1832 came to Hartford, Connecticut, where
he secured a position as a clerk in the grocery store of C. H. Northam. After
a short period in this establishment, he went once more to St. Louis, remain-

336 3Iamc0 TBoIter

ing about a year this time. Conditions were rather uncertain in the western
city at that period and Mr. Bolter lost nearly every cent he had in the
world, returning almost penniless to Hartford. Here he formed a partner-
ship with Ellery Hills in the wholesale grocery business, an association
which continued four years under the style of Hills & Bolter. In the year
1843 his former employer, C. H. Northam, offered Mr. Bolter a partnership
in his large and well established business and this he accepted, the firm be-
coming C. H. Northam & Company. During the next seventeen years he
remained in this connection, gaining business experience and a reputation
as a clear-headed merchant that extended throughout the community. His
ability was thus brought to the notice of prominent men generally and in
January, i860, he was offered the position of cashier in the Hartford Bank
which he at once accepted. This was the beginning of his long and notable
career as banker and financier, the foundation upon which the larger part
of his fame rests. He entered heart and soul into the new work and from
that time, during a period of nearly fifty years, labored unceasingly in the
interests of the institution. In the year 1874 he was elected president of the
bank which flourished greatly under his able management for more than a
quarter of a century and was known as one of the most important factors in
the financial world of New England. The career of this great bank was a
phenomenal one and deserves a brief review in this place. The Hartford
Bank was founded in the year 1792 and is now the oldest institution of the
kind in the city. The men who organized it were among the leading and
most capable financiers of the period and included John Caldwell among
their number who became its first president. From that time during the
one hundred and eight years of its existence until the death of Mr. Bolter
in 1900, it had but seven presidents, all of whom were men of parts whose
policies and methods spelled success for the bank. In the year 1865 it was
nationalized and became the Hartford National Bank, and one of the first
steps undertaken by Mr. Bolter upon taking the office of president was the
entire remodelling of the banking rooms and their reconstruction upon a
much larger scale and the most modern principles. This had the effect of
turning them into one of the handsomest and most perfectly equipped offices
in the State as was appropriate to the foremost position it held there. Al-
though the fifth bank established in the United States and consequently one
of the oldest in existence to-day, it has always remained a most progressive
institution and to this day continues to lead the way in the adoption of the
best modern banking methods, and it stands to-day as a type of the most
substantial and secure financial house, one that represents the true ideal of a
bank as a safeguard for the savings of all men, not primarily as a means of
enriching a few. The splendid traditions of so long a period Mr. Bolter
fully sympathized with, and it was one of his greatest prides that he lived up
to them in every sense and that under his direction the bank still further
increased its prestige and its usefulness in the community. His own asso-
ciation with it had antedated his appointment as cashier, as in 1852 he had
been made a director, so that for forty-eight years he had had a voice in the
direction of its affairs.

It was not merely as president of the Hartford National Bank that Mr.

3fames ISolter 337

Bolter was prominent in the financial world for he was connected with many
of the most important concerns in the region as a director. Among these
should he mentioned the Dime Savings Bank, the Hartford County Mutual
Fire Insurance Company and the P. & F. Corbin Company of New Britain,
Connecticut. Insurance was another of the interests of the Connecticut city
with the development of which Mr. Bolter was connected. The bank was
one of the first institutions to begin the practice of insuring fire and marine
risks a number of years before regular insurance companies were formed and
this branch of its transactions were very profitably continued under Mr.
Bolter's management. It was here and in similar institutions that the germ
of that great development started that has since made Hartford one of the
greatest insurance centers of the world and added so greatly to its wealth
and renown. Mr. Bolter's interest in the great industry did not cease at the
doors of his own concern, however, as his connection with the Hartford
County Mutual Fire Insurance Company shows, but was of a broad and
altruistic nature, as indeed were all his interests in business. In this con-
nection it is interesting to note that he was the very first policy holder in the
then just organized Travelers Accident Insurance Company of Hartford,
now one of the largest companies in the world with a capital of one hundred
million dollars. His early policy insured Mr. Bolter against accident be-
tween the post office and his home on Buckingham street.

Although Mr. Bolter's time and energies were naturally engaged by his
business interests in a very large degree they were by no means so monopo-
lized by them as to cause him to withdraw from the other normal relations
of life as so many of our more modern financiers seem disposed to do. On
the contrary there was scarcely a movement of importance in any depart-
ment of the city's life in which he was not interested, and which, if he
favored its aims and methods, he did not effectively support with money or
labor. He was a man of large mental vision who could discern, better than
most men, the working of great principles in the society of which he was a
member. This very naturally led him to the study and observation of
politics, in which he became keenly interested, giving his support to the
principles for which the Democratic party stands. He even entered local
politics and took a more or less active part in his party's aims and organiza-
tion in the city. The demands of his other duties made it out of the question
for him to hold public office himself to any extent, so that despite the fact
that he was strongly urged to accept nominations, he pretty consistently
refused, though on two or three occasions he served as councilman and
alderman in the city government. Socially he was a very active man and
took a prominent part in the life of several important clubs and organiza-
tions. He was a member of the Hartford Club, the Zodiac Driving Club and
the Colonial Club, and in his early manhood had joined St. John's Lodge,
Free and Accepted Masons, of Hartford. In his youth, also, he was con-
nected with the militia of that period and served on the staff' of Governor
Joseph Trumbull of Connecticut. In the matter of religion Mr. Bolter was
afffliated with the Episcopal church and it was in keeping with his character
that he felt deeply and seriously on the subject. He gave much time indeed

CONN-Vol m_22

338 31ames Igoltet

to the advancement of the cause of the church and of religion generally, was
a member of the Church Club of the State, a trustee of donations and be-
quests of the Episcopal Church of the State and a lay delegate to the
diocesan conventions.

On February ii, 1846, Mr. Bolter was united in marriage with Mary
Bartholomew, of Hartford, where she was born July 7, 1820, a daughter of
Roswell and Sally Johnson (Stone) Bartholomew, very prominent residents
of the city. The Bartholomew family is descended from William Bartholo-
mew, of Ipswich, Massachusetts, where he settled after coming from Eng-
land in 1634. To Mr. and Mrs. Bolter were born three children, as follows:
James, Jr., married, in 1881, Ellen A. Brown, by whom he had a daughter,
Mary E. ; Alice E. ; Clara M., who became Mrs. John W. Gray, of Hartford.

Such a character as that of Mr. Bolter is a possession of value to any
community, not only on account of the material things accomplished by him,
these were important enough, but still more in virtue of the thing he was,
the note of virtue and worth struck by his personality, the standard uncon-
sciously set up by which all men thenceforth must measure themselves and
their fellows. It is very curious how such forces operate, how invisible to the
eye they are and yet how potent for good. For example, Mr. Bolter's
charities, though very large, were performed so quietly that but very few
people had the remotest notion of their proportions. He delighted to aid
such young men as seemed to be burdened with unusually great obstacles at
the outset of their careers, yet of whose honest intentions he was assured.
Many are the successful men who owe their fortune in a great measure to
these kindly ofhces on his part, but it is quite evident that assistance of this
kind would be of so delicate a nature in the majority of cases that neither
giver nor recipient would refer to it and the world-at-large guess nothing.
And yet his great-hearted philanthropy was instinctively felt by all men with
the same certainty as if each individual act had been published abroad and,
indeed, more so, since the very modesty of their suppression was an element
of added strength. Thus it was that while living his example was so strong,
and that now his memory is entitled to an enduring place in the records of
his community.

(S^eorge 3* Cope

HE MEN WHO give the tone and character to any com-
munity and determine what it is are not the few geniuses
that arise therein and who would be exceptions anywhere,
but the rank and file of its people, those who do its work, per-
form its manifold functions and take vital part in its every-
day, work-a-day life; those, in short, who form its essential
structure. And this being true it is obvious that the men
whose careers best give expression to this communal character are again not
the exceptions, but those who show in themselves the average qualities of
their fellows but sharpened and defined and made typical by unusually vivid
personalities or strong character. Such a one might well be accounted
George J. Cope, who displayed throughout his life in a high degree those
strong, staunch qualities we think of as typically New England and which
have made that region proverbial for a strange union of idealism and prac-
ticality wellnigh invincible.

George J. Cope was a son of John and Mary (Schellenberger) Cope, of
West Hartford, Connecticut, and was himself born there July i6. 1868. But
shortly after his birth his parents removed to Farmington, a short distance
outside of Hartford, and settled in what is known as "Scotts-Swamp Dis-
trict" and there made their home for several years. During that period Mr.
Cope grew into boyhood and attended the local schools for his education.
The circumstances of his parents did not admit of his carrying on this task
as long as he desired and he was little more than a lad when he was forced
to seek some means of earning his livelihood. With this end in view he
returned to Hartford and apprenticed himself to his brother-in-law, W. W.
Keller, who conducted a plumbing establishment in the city, and there
learned that trade. To this end he applied himself with good effect and
remained for five years with Mr. Keller making himself a master of his craft
in all its detail and fitting himself to manage an establishment of his own.
In the year 1890 he concluded himself prepared for this responsibility and
accordingly withdrew from his previous employ and engaged in business on
his own account in partnership with a brother under the style of Cope
Brothers, Incorporated. During his apprenticeship Mr. Cope had won the
reputation as an unusually hard worker, and this he certainly did not lose
subsequently. To begin a new business is never an easy matter, and these
two young men, without any particular influence or prominent acquaintance,
found it difficult enough for the first few years. They did not waste time in
repining, however, but set themselves at once to the matter in hand and
worked with such a will that the effects of their labor soon made itself
manifest. Their shop was opened in the first place at No. 94 State street,
and it was here that their first success was experienced. As time went on,
however, neither the quarters themselves nor the location satisfied Mr.
Cope and eventually they removed to a larger establishment in the more
central location of No. 117 Market street. Here in due course of time the

340 (25eorge % Cope

business became very large, and here, to this day, it is still conducted by
Mr. Cope's brother and partner. The city of Hartford was at that time in
a state of great expansion and the capital required by individuals to meet
the expenses of legitimate enterprise was not always forthcoming. This
condition of affairs was one of the contributing causes to the difificulties that
beset the opening years of Mr. Cope's enterprise but produced an ample
compensation in the end. For it often happened that those who did not have
the actual cash wherewith to pay him for the work he did, would offer in
place thereof various forms of real estate, acreage, lots, houses and what not
in or near the city. These Mr. Cope never refused and his wisdom has been
well justified in the conclusion, for with the increase in population the values
of such properties increased enormously and netted him a large fortune. In
this manner Mr. Cope became identified with the real estate interests of the
city and, though he always attended to the plumbing business, he also
engaged to a large extent in real estate transactions, especially towards the
latter part of his life.

Although Mr. Cope was greatly interested in political questions of both
local and national significance, the great demands made upon him b)'^ his
business prevented him from taking an active part therein. He was a
staunch member of the Catholic church and it was his pride that he trans-
mitted his faith to his children, even as he had received it from his fore-
fathers. He was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
Hartford Lodge, but did not on the whole take a very great interest in fra-
ternal matters, preferring domestic pleasures and intercourse than those of
a more general society.

Mr. Cope was united in marriage, on May 14, 1890, with Margaret J.
Cooney, a daughter of Edward and Anna (Gray) Cooney, old and respected
residents of that city, now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Cope became the parents
of seven children, as follows: Edward, George, Mary, Francis, Frederick,
Florence and Edna.

No man ever deserved more fully the success that attended his efforts
than Mr. Cope, who for all that he won gave its full equivalent in labor,
whether of brain or hand. He was extremely democratic in his instincts and
never hesitated to turn his own hands to the work of the establishment, and
it was often said of him that he worked much harder than any man in his
employ. This made him popular with his men generally, a popularity which
he enhanced by his just treatment of them and the fact that he entered in
and understood their problems and cares in a way which no man can do who
has not himself experienced them at one epoch in his life. As time went on
and his wealth increased, Mr. Cope was able to indulge a little more freely
the tastes and desires which his youth had found it necessary to repress.
These were all of a healthy and wholesome nature, however, so that wealth
and power did not lead him, as in the case of so many, to pastimes that dis-
sipate the vitality and lead to old age. On the contrary Mr. Cope's pleasures
were those most associated with out-of-doors, his especial favorites being
hunting and fishing. A worthy successor of Nimrod he proved himself, too,
and was noted for his extraordinary skill and good fortune in both sports.
It was the sport, pure and simple, that attracted him, and he was quite as apt

(Seorgc 31. Cope

341

to give away his catch to some friend or neighbor as to keep it himself, and
seemed to enjoy it quite as much. It has already been remarked that his
instincts were of a strongly domestic character, and it is true that he never
enjoyed himself so greatly as in the society of his family and intimate
friends about his own hearthstone. His thoughts were constantly con-
cerned with the happiness of those about him, and he was forever devising
some scheme for the pleasure of his family. These qualities made him well
beloved of all and there are few men whose death was more generally regret-
ted. This event occurred September 21, 191 1, when he was but forty-three
years of age, and was the occasion of sincere mourning on the part of those
who knew him and a sense of loss to the entire community.

Zaimon Austin ^torrs

'HE LATE Zaimon A. Storrs, who died February 22, 1890, at
his home in Hartford, was a representative of one of the
oldest Connecticut families, which has been conspicuously-
identified with the history of the State through many gener-
ations. The immigrant ancestor of the family in this coun-
try, Samuel Storrs, was of the fifth generation, descended
from William Storrs, who lived in Nottinghamshire, and
made his will in 1557. Samuel Storrs was born in Nottingham, baptized
1640, and in 1663 came to Barnstable, Massachusetts, where he was admitted
to the church in 1685. He was among the pioneer settlers of Mansfield,
Connecticut, where he located in 1698, and died April 3. 1719. He was the
father of Thomas Storrs, born in Barnstable, 1686, died in Mansfield, 1755,
was long clerk of the town, justice of the peace, and member of the General
Assembly for forty-three sessions. He held various other offices of trust
and honor, and was a very capable and prominent citizen. His second son,
Thomas Storrs, born in Mansfield, 1717, was a farmer all his life in that
town, where he died in 1802. He was the father of Daniel Storrs, a soldier
of the Revolution, one of the minutemen marching on the Lexington Alarm,
later quartermaster of a Connecticut regiment, serving in the battle of White
Plains. Many years a merchant and innkeeper at Mansfield, he died there
in 183 1. His wife Ruth was a daughter of Colonel Shubael Conant, of
Mansfield, granddaughter of Rev. Eleazer Williams.

Zaimon Storrs, their second son, was born December 18, 1779, gradu-
ated from Yale in the class of 1801, and studied law in the office of Thomas
S. Williams, then of Mansfield, later of Hartford. He abandoned the prac-
tice of law, and succeeded his father in the mercantile business, was post-
master for twenty years, and often represented the town in the General
Assembly; was justice of the peace until he reached the age limit. In 1831
and again in 1834 he was candidate for Governor, nominated by the anti-
Masonic party. He was one of the originators in the manufacture of silk
thread by machinery, and had a factory in Mansfield Hollow. He was
prominent in the First Congregational Church of Mansfield, and died Feb-
ruary 17, 1867. He married, April 26, 1804, Cynthia Stowell, daughter of
Josiah Stowell, of Mansfield, born December 12, 1790, died April 17, 1833.
Their fourth son, Zaimon Austin, is the subject of this sketch.

Zaimon Austin Storrs was born July 13, 1813, in Mansfield, and
attended the district schools of his native town, and the academies at Green-
wich, Connecticut, and Monson, Massachusetts. He graduated from Mid-
dlebury College, Vermont, class of 1835, ^"d studied law in the school at
Litchfield, Connecticut, with his cousin, Origen Storrs Seymour, afterward
chief justice of the State. He was admitted to the bar and began to practice
in the town of Tolland, Connecticut, where he was elected judge of probate,
and judge of the Tolland county court. In December, 1852, he removed to
Hartford, Connecticut, and practiced his profession with ability and credit

>^.-..^ Cr 1^'

Salmon Austin ^torrs 343

until 1868. For some time he was a law partner of W. W. Eaton, afterward
United States Senator. He was elected treasurer of the Society for Savings
at Hartford, January 8, 1873, filling that office to the close of his life. He
died February 22, 1890. He filled various private and public trusts, and was
for many years one of the prominent figures in the financial circles of Hart-
ford. He was a man of slender build, medium height, having dark hair,
attractive in personality, and enjoyed the respect and confidence of the
entire community. He was a member of the Pearl Street Congregational
Church, which is known since the change of location as the Farmington
Avenue Church. In politics he was an earnest Republican. He married,
July 28, 1864, Mary Rowell, daughter of Lewis and Ruth (Burnham)
Rowell, of Hartford, and they had one child, Lewis Austin, born August 28,
1866, in Hartford. The Hartford "Daily Times" of February 24, 1890, said:
"He studied law in New York City and later with the late Chief Justice
Seymour, of Litchfield, who was his cousin. He began practice in Tolland,
where, among other resident lawyers at that time, were Alvan P. Hyde, now
of this city, and the late Loren P. Waldo. Mr. Storrs won a good reputation
at the bar, and eventually became county judge and also probate judge, the
latter about 1848. He removed to Hartford in 1852, and was at various
periods in law partnership with Judge Elisha Johnson, and the late James H.
Holcombe, who died last year in Italy. In 1868 he accepted the vice-presi-
dency of the Charter Oak Life Insurance Company under President Walk-
ley. He remained until the late S. H. White succeeded him in 1872 as vice-
president and treasurer, and then became treasurer of the Society for Savings,
succeeding Olcott Allen, deceased. He continued in this position to this
time, and was one of the best managers that ancient institution has ever
had. He was cautious and conservative, and every investment was made
with shrewd judgment. Under his administration the deposits rose from
six millions to nearly thirteen millions." He was survived by his wife and
one child, Lewis A., of Hartford, who married Bessie W. Whitmore, of
Brooklyn, New York; they have six children.

Br. 31^t:rp B. Clemans

'HE SUCCESS OF men in any vocation depends upon
character as well as upon knowledge. Business demands
confidence, and where that is lacking, business ends. In
every community some men are known for their upright
lives, strong common sense, and moral worth, rather than
for their wealth or political standing. This is especially the
case with professional men. Their neighbors and acquaint-
ances respect them, and the younger generations heed their example.
Among such men in Canaan, Connecticut, was the late Dr. Jerry D. Clemans,
who was not only active in his professional life as a dentist for almost a
quarter of a century, but was a man of modest, unassuming demeanor, well
educated, largely through his own efforts, a fine type of the reliable, selfmade
American, a friend to the poor, charitable to the faults of his neighbors, and
always ready to unite with them in every good work and active in the sup-
port of laudable enterprises. He was a man who in every respect merited
the esteem in which he was universally held, for he was a man of public
spirit and exemplary character.

Captain Jerry Clemans, father of the subject of this sketch, was
drovv^ned in 1838 by the sinking of a ship on Lake Erie, on which he was a
passenger. He married Lusanna Stowe, who died in Brooklyn, New York,
in 1892, at the age of ninety-two years. They had children: Dr. Salem, a
dentist, of New Milford, Connecticut; Mrs. E. N. Rawson, of Brooklyn,
New York; John, of Providence, Rhode Island; Jerry D., whose name heads
this sketch ; John Milton, died in infancy.

Dr. Jerry D. Clemans was born in Charlton, near Webster, Massachu-
setts, March 12, 1830, died at his home in Canaan, Litchfield county, Con-
necticut, March 20, 1904, and was buried with Masonic honors. He acquired
his elementary education in the common schools in the vicinity of his home,
and this was supplemented by attendance at the Dudley (Massachusetts)
Academy, after which he entered upon a business career by establishing
himself as a wholesale jeweler in the State of Illinois. Returning to the
east, he took up the study of dentistry under his brother, who was estab-
lished in this profession in New Milford, and having perfected himself in it,
established himself in the practice of this profession in Falls Village, in
1861, and continued there for a period of twenty-three years, during which
time he had acquired and maintained a large and lucrative practice, from
which he retired one year after his marriage. But it was not in professional
life alone that Dr. Clemans earned distinction. The active part he displayed
in the public life of the community, resulted in his being elected to represent
the Democratic party in the State Legislature in 1876, from Canaan, and his
conduct while in office was entirely satisfactory to his constituents. He
was a member of Montgomery Lodge, No. 13, Free and Accepted Masons,
of Lakeville; Hematite Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of Lakeville; Masonic
Council, of Litchfield; the Commandery, Knights Templar, of Bridgeport;

Dr. 3Icrtp D. Clemans 345

and Pyramid Temple. Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,
of Bridgeport.

Dr. Clemans married, October 8, 1884, Frances Fuller, a daughter of the
late John R. Fuller, of Canaan, and a woman of culture and refinement,
gracious and charming in her manner. He and his wife were inseparable
companions, and they spent a considerable portion of their time in travel.
In 1903, late in the year. Dr. Clemans paid a visit to his native place,
and the surrounding localities, this being the first time he had gone there in
forty years. He found the places wonderfully changed, and regarded this
as one of the pleasantest trips he had ever undertaken. His religious affili-
ation was with the Methodist church.

In his private life Dr. Clemans was a man of high ideals and rare attain-
ments. Intellectually he was a man of unusual force and influence and all
who came in contact with him felt the impress of his personality. He loved
friends and delighted in their company, for there was in him nothing of the
misanthrope. His personal character was above reproach; his presence
pleasing, his morals pure, and he possessed temperance and self control. His
domestic life was a most happy one, and his was a most delightful home.

itpman Bulilep ^mitl)

YMAN DUDLEY SMITH, in whose death on July lo, 191 1,
Hartford, Connecticut, lost one of its most respected and
beloved citizens, was not a native of that city, nor indeed of
Connecticut, having removed there as a young man from
Maine, of which State his family had long been resident, and
where he himself was born. At the time of his death he was
the oldest, in point of continuous service, teacher in the
United States. He came from hardy English stock, having descended from
Edward Payson, who came from England in 1636 and landed at Roxbury,
Massachusetts, and who married Mary Eliot, a sister of the celebrated
Indian missionary. The great-grandfather of Lyman D. Smith fought in
the Revolutionary War; his grandfather was a colonel in the War of 1812;
his father, Lyman Smith, who followed at different times the callings of
farmer and seaman, died when he was a mere lad, and his mother, Martha
(Payson) Smith, was a daughter of Colonel Asa Payson, who operated a
farm in the village of Hope, Maine, was a shoemaker by trade, and also
served in the capacity of postmaster of the village, and was a sister of Pro-
fessor Jesse W. Payson, author of the Payson, Dunton & Scribner system of
penmanship.

Lyman Dudley Smith was born December 28, 1842, at Camden, Maine,
but only resided in that town during the first four years of his life, when his
father died and he was taken by his mother to the little village of Hope,
Maine, where she was to make her home with her father. The boy per-
formed the usual farm work, and secured his education against great odds.
The grandfather's great force of character and ability made an impress upon
young Lyman's life and influenced him greatly for education and manliness
in character. At an early age he began to take an interest in fine penman-
ship, caused no doubt by the assistance rendered his grandfather in post
office work, and by the influence of his uncle, Professor Payson. All the
money expended upon his education was earned by himself in the face of
many adverse circumstances, but he was a natural scholar and applied him-
self with great diligence to his studies. He possessed a remarkable memory,
and had the ambition to obtain knowledge and to make the most of himself.
The school life of a lad in that time and place was no sinecure, not only on
account of the circumstances attending the school itself, which were of the
crudest, but because, when not attending classes, he must work at the tasks
of his elders instead of enjoying the opportunity for recreation which the
school boy of to-day knows. The busy life did not seem to harm him, how-
ever, the hard work in the open air, together with the close intimacy with
nature and its elemental truths which the occupation of farming brings,
developed in him, as in so many of the hardy sons of New England, a
strength of body and character well fitted to bear the blows of fate. Cer-
tainly, so far from disturbing his studies, it seemed rather to serve as a
stimulus, for while very young he left the high school, which he had

iLpman DuDlep ^mitft 347

attended but a short time, and was ready to begin on the serious business of
life. He developed into a man of many talents and acquired not only great
skill in penmanship, but he was a lover of music, accomplished on the violin,
studied art, science and literature. He was in the true sense a self-made
man. and this in the face of untoward circumstances from boyhood.

His first experience in business life was as an employee of the post office
department, under his grandfather, at Hope, Maine, but being of an am-
bitious nature, and not wholly satisfied with his work in the country village,
he cast about for an opportunity to enlarge the field of his endeavors. In
1866 he removed to Boston, Massachusetts, where an uncle, J. W. Payson,
was residing, and was sent from there to Hartford, Connecticut, by his uncle,
and there secured employment as a teacher, and this city was the scene of his
busy activities during the remainder of his days. Through the efforts of his
uncle he secured the position of writing teacher in the North School, suc-
ceeding Professor O. H. Bowler in that capacity. During the first years
of his service he also acted as drawing teacher, but as the number of pupils
grew larger it became necessary to separate the two duties, and Professor
Smith thereafter specialized in writing. After spending four years at the
North School he was transferred to the South School, and his term of service
is the longest on record in the country, continuing as it did forty-five years
and two months, and only ending with the approach of his death. During
that long period he established and maintained a standard of instruction
in his department not realized until that time, and at the same time won the
love and veneration of the many pupils who passed through his hands.
Among these were many of the prominent men of Hartford, and it was often
the case that towards the latter part of his career he would have as pupils
the children of those whom he taught as a younger man. He also added
largely to his host of friends by his contact with public school teachers
from all over the country at conventions and summer schools, where he was
both a practical and a magnetic lecturer on the subject of penmanship. His
artistic nature found expression in his plain penmanship in a forcefulness of
line and a symmetry of form that made it the embodiment of beauty and a
fascination to his classes. He had a just and exact appreciation of artistic
work of all kinds, a powerful individuality, a purity of style in speech and
in writing that made both his written and his spoken communications
highly valued. It is safe to assert that he was probably the most care-
fully read writing teacher of this decade, and in his death the profession
lost a great leader. He was one of the few staunch men who helped
to steady practical writing, having always adhered to sound fundamental
ideas of a fixed system of principles for the acquirement of a graceful, rapid
style of business penmanship. In addition to teaching in Hartford, he also
taught several terms of summer school at Glens Falls, New York.

Besides the service which he did to his art by means of his direct teach-
ing, he performed that of writing no less than seven standard series of copy
books, which have been in common use in the schools for a long period of
time, and he was the author of the following systems of penmanship : "A pple-
ton's Standard System of Penmanship," eighteen numbers, published by D.
Appleton & Company, 1881. "Sheldon's New System of Vertical Writing,"

348 Lpman DuDIep ^mit!)

ten numbers, published by Sheldon & Company. "Sheldon's New System
of Standard Writing," twelve numbers. "Standard Writing Chart," two
numbers, published by Sheldon & Company, New York and Chicago, 1897.
"Smith Educational System of Intermedial Penmanship," twelve numbers.
"Smith's Manual for Teachers." "Smith's Writing Charts," published by
H. P. Smith Publishing Company, 1896. "Smith's New Intermedial Copy
Books," eight numbers, published by the MacMillan Company, 1907. He was
also very skillful with the pencil and brush, but his great pleasure lay in
the mastery of foreign languages, in which he did phenomenal work, acquir-
ing the power to read, write and speak German, Spanish, and Italian with
great fluency. He was the author of many charming sketches, the subjects
for which were gleaned from the charming and picturesque country side
about Hartford and other localities in Connecticut. These pictures were not
only his pleasure at the time of sketching, but the delight of his friends
later.

Professor Smith did not confine his energies to his particular line of
work, on the contrary there were but few departments of the commun-
ity's life in which he did not take part, though always in the capacity of
private citizen. He always took a keen interest in the question of public
policy, and was a staunch supporter of the Republican party. He never had
any ambition to hold office, and did not ally himself actively with the local
organization, though he did what he could to make its cause prevail. He
was a member of the Unitarian church, and a man of deep, though liberal,
religious views and feelings. The strongest proof of his inherent Chris-
tianity was the simple, faithful life he led which endeared him to all who
came in contact with him, and especially to the great host of pupils he
instructed during his long stewardship. He was a man of broad and liberal
faith, a great believer in humanitarianism, and a believer in all mankind.
He performed many acts of kindness towards the poor and unfortunate, of
which the world knew nothing. His fine face and frank eye always placed
him promptly in the professional class. There was inspiration in meeting
him and no young teacher could talk penmanship with Mr. Smith, or for that
matter any other subject of the day, without being greatly benefited. He
loved out-of-doors, and everywhere nature beckoned to him passionately.
He was of a frank personality and readily responded to all things which had
a tendency to stimulate the intellect, to thrill the heart, or to please the
artistic sense.

Professor Smith married, December 30, 1866, Barbara Elizabeth Whit-
more, born in Lincolnville, Maine, daughter of John and Sallie (Calder-
wood) Whitmore, both of whom were natives of Maine. To Professor and
Mrs. Smith were born four daughters: i. Maud Isabella, died aged six
weeks. 2. Marion Gertrude, who was formerly a teacher in the Hartford
public schools, now the wife of Professor Alfonso de Salvio, of Northwestern
University at Evanston, Illinois. 3. Bertha, died in infancy. 4. Martha C,
now a teacher in the Hartford public schools.

Because of the genial, sunshiny disposition of Professor Smith his home
life was one of unusual harmony and unselfishness. His readiness of wit
and repartee made him a charming companion and a favorite wherever he

Lpman DuDlep ^mitl)

349

went, and forunate were those who could be counted among his friends to
enjoy the hospitality and the bounty of his home. The end of his active and
useful life came at his brother's camp at Bucksport, Maine, whither he had
gone in search of rest and restoration of shattered health. His laurels were
fairly won and well became the greatness and dignity of his character. It
only remains to acknowledge the debt to Professor Huntsinger, of Hartford,
from whose article, written for the Hartford papers at the time of Professor
Smith's death, considerable of the material for this article has been derived.

ifKltles WLtlh (JJrabes

UCCESS IN LIFE is the result of the most various kinds of
efifort and endeavor and the prize of the most diverse types
of character. Many there are who achieve it through some
vigorous stroke, some brilHant tour de force, which carries
them at a bound from obscurity to prominence, and some
few there are of these fortunate enough to accomplish their
rise without the loss of friendship or the affection of their
fellows. But the true nobility is displayed most conspicuously when the
same prominence is attained as the result of long and patient work per-
formed for its own sake or because it is a duty, without the impetus of an
ulterior motive or one thought of personal exaltation. Such was the path
followed by the late Miles Wells Graves whose death on December 13, 1906,
deprived the city of Hartford, Connecticut, of one of the most important
figures in its business and financial world and a man who in every respect
might stand as a type of good citizenship.

Mr. Graves was a member of an old and distinguished New England
family, the founder of which was one Thomas Graves, who settled first in
New Haven sometime prior to the year 1637, from there removed to Hart-
ford and finally in the above named year went to Hatfield, Massachusetts,
where he made his permanent home. His descendants are now to be found
in many parts of both Massachusetts and Connecticut, and the family has
of recent years formed an association with members from both these States
and New York.

Mr. Graves was himself born in Lee, Massachusetts, November 29, 1834.
He was a son of Seth Dickinson and Ada Eels (Thatcher) Graves, lifelong
residents of that town, and grew to manhood there, receiving his education
in the local schools and beginning his business career in a local banking
institution. He received rapid promotion in the Lee Bank and became
teller there, a position that he held in 1854. It was about this time that upon
the suggestion of Leonard Church, an uncle of the well known artist, Fred-
erick E. Church, and an old friend of the Graves family, an offer was made
to the young man of a place on its ofiice force by the important concern
known as the Connecticut River Banking Company. This he accepted and
again met with a rapid advance. In 1857 he was chosen teller, and about
three years later cashier, in which capacity he continued to act until the
year 1887 when he retired from active connection with the bank except such
as is involved in a directorship to which he was elected. In the meantime he
had become associated with other industrial and business interests and
grown to be a prominent figure in the financial world of that region. He had
removed to Hartford at the time of his becoming associated with the Con-
necticut River Banking Company and had since that time become identified
very intimately with the banking interests of the city. He was for a number
of years treasurer of the Pratt & Whitney Company and held the same
position in the Connecticut River Company. He was also a director of the
Spencer & Billings Company. In the financial world he was best known,
however, as the treasurer of the State Savings Bank. He was traveling in

g|gile0 mtll^ acaties 351

Mexico when the offer was made to him of this office, and hurrying home he
accepted it and entered at once upon its duties, which he continued to dis-
charge with the utmost efficiency until the time of his death. His ability
was widely recognized and it was not alone in the business world that his
services were sought. He was a well known Republican and there were
not a few efforts made to induce him to accept public office. This he was
loath to do, however, as he greatly disliked political life but he did what he
could to aid the advancement of the principles he believed in as represented
by the party, in his capacity as a private citizen. He did, indeed, accept the
position of member of the high school committee in the year 1884, when his
name appeared as candidate on both the Democratic and Republican tickets.
He was elected and served for a period of two years.

Mr. Graves was one of the most prominent members of the Masonic
fraternity in the State of Connecticut of which he had been a member since
the year i860, when he was raised in Hartford Lodge, No. 88, Free and
Accepted Masons. In 1864 he was elected treasurer of his lodge and was
reelected each succeeding year until the end of his life, making his term of
service forty-three consecutive years, a record for the State. In 1896 he was
elected treasurer of the grand lodge of Connecticut, holding that office until
his death. He was a member of the board of managers of the Masonic
Charity Foundation of Connecticut, treasurer of the board and a member of
its finance committee. He was exalted in Pythagoras Chapter, No. 17,
Royal Arch Masons; received and greeted in Walcott Council, No. i. Royal
and Select Masters; knighted in Washington Commandery, No. i, Knights
Templar; and became a member of the Charter Oak Lodge of Perfection;
Hartford Council, Princes of Jerusalem; Cyrus Goodell Chapter of Rose
Croix, the Connecticut Sovereign Consistory, Sublime Princes of the Royal
Secret, and a Noble of Sphinx Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He was also
a member of the Masonic Hall Association representing the Walcott Coun-
cil, of the Oasis Club and an honorary member of the Sphinx Band in which
he took a high degree of interest. Outside of the Masonic order Mr. Graves
was a life-member of the Connecticut Historical Society and a member of
the Putnam Phalanx.

Mr. Graves was married in Hartford, October 5, 1864, to Ruth Putnam
Wade, a daughter of Benjamin C. and Ruth Putnam (Webb) Wade, of that
city. To them was born one daughter, Martha Wells, who became the wife
of Edward Wallace Bush, and died September 17, 1906, but three months
before her father. Mrs. Graves survives her husband and is still a resident
in the beautiful home at No. 638 Asylum avenue, which was originally the
old Hart place.

Mr. Graves was possessed of many unusual abilities which rendered him
a most important figure in the department of activity he had chosen for his
own. Industrious, methodical, alert, he was also a most unusually able
mathematician, skilled in all the branches of that great science, and it is
said of him that he solved many of the most difficult problems that the
actuarial departments of the insurance companies were at that time wrestling
with. He was a great traveler and had seen his own country, including
Canada and Mexico, pretty exhaustively, though he had never been in
Europe. He was a man of very broad culture also, with a taste for the
aesthetic wherever displayed, and collected antiques and curios of manv

352 Q^ilcg mtUs aratieig

kinds, especially coins. His numismatic collection was considered especially-
fine, ranking among the largest and rarest in the country, and it was located
at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, to which institution he lent it
some years before his death, but since his death it has been given to the
Athen?eum at Hartford. He made an especial study of Mexican archaeology
and traveled a number of times in that country in company with the artist,
Frederick E. Church. His long and intimate acquaintance with Mr. Church
was a source of great pleasure to Mr. Graves, as he was a great admirer of
his work and purchased a number of his best canvases. Another region,
the historical remains of which greatly interested Mr. Graves, and occupied
much of his time and attention, was his native one of the Connecticut Valley.
He was deeply learned in the traditions and records of this part of the
country and his splendid library was especially rich in genealogical and his-
torical works dealing with it. As a man Mr. Graves displayed the typical
virtues of his race and country in the highest degree, his honesty and integ-
rity being above question and his charity of the most broadly sympathetic
nature, unbounded by any prejudice of race, class or creed. The position he
held in the respect and affection of his associates and the community gener-
ally is best expressed in the words spoken by Dr. Store on the occasion of
Mr. Graves' funeral. They were as follows :

There is a heroism for the business man in his appointed tasks as for the soldier in
the ranks. The same quaHties of integrity, loyalty and courage are brought to their
supreme test in one case as in the other. Through a long business career, lived openly
in the sight of his fellow men, our friend has manifested these qualities, and at the last,
death found him at his allotted post, with only the briefest interval of rest. The confi-
dence he enjoyed he did not betray. It was his pleasure to administer the larger trusts
committed to him with scrupulous fidelity. He was also trusted with the resources of
his fellows, which were applied to the relief of the needy and the succor of those who in
age and want required them. In these he took an interest beyond simply to keep correct
accounts and render faithful stewardship. His interest in the institution at Walling-
ford was continuous and intense. It was a peculiar joy to see this shelter rise and
become equipped for its noble uses. Mr. Graves was a steadfast and willing friend.
There are witnesses to this who, if they could trust themselves, could speak with over-
flowing gratitude of his timely friendship and material aid. He will be remembered by
these friends long after these memorial words are spoken.

Mr. Graves was a notably reticent man, but it would be a mistake if we should fail
to recognize his sensitive quality, below this apparently self-contained exterior. When
the shadow came, which fell so recently over his later life, it put an unlifted sorrow into
his heart. To-day vve cannot explain the mystery of that shadow. We can only say :

Not a tie is broken,

Not a hope laid low.
Not a farewell spoken,

But our God doth know.

Every hair is numbered.

Every tear is weighed
In the changeless balance

Wisest love has made.

Power eternal resteth

In His changeless hand,
Love immortal hasteth

Swift at His command.

Faith can firmly trust Him

In the darkest hour,
For the key she holdeth

To His love and power.

3ames ^})elps JFcster

HERE ARE FEW cities within the length and breadth of
these United States that have more reason for feeling pride
in the men who from its earliest beginnings have shaped its
destinies and been identified with its life than Hartford.
The very name of the city suggests distinction in the various
departments of activity which go to make up the life of a
community ; probity and conservatism in business methods,
scholarly accomplishment in matters of education, culture in social inter-
course and a serious earnestness in religion, which might well form a model
for the emulation of others. An imposing list might easily be made of the
large-minded and liberal merchants of the city whose services to it have
not been confined to the development of any particular business or mer-
cantile interest, but have been most inclusive and public-spirited in their
scope and have contributed to the general well-being of the community. In
such a list would figure prominently the name of Foster, the patronymic of
a family the members of which were most intimately identified with the
mercantile development of Hartford, at a time when that development was
laying the foundation of, and leading directly to the present great size and
importance of those interests.

James Phelps Foster was a native of Manchester, Connecticut, where
he was born January 31, 1800, a son of James and Eunice (Phelps) Foster,
old and honored residents of that place. His mother was born in Nova
Scotia and was a daughter of Rev. Benajah and Phoebe (Dennison) Phelps.
Rev. Benajah Phelps was called to take charge of the Congregational
church when it was first established in Manchester, and he was the first
clergyman in the place.

Mr. Foster passed his childhood and early youth in the city of his birth,
receiving his education there and making his entrance into business life
while a resident there. In 1838, when he was about thirty-eight years of age,
he removed to Hartford, and from that date was identified with the life of his
new home until his death on May 14, 187S. On first coming to Hartford he
engaged in the wholesale grocery business in which he achieved a remark-
able success, his house becoming one of the most prominent in the city, and
holding a reputation second to none. He was a man of great force of char-
acter and soon became well known among his fellow merchants as at once
progressive and conservative, as one unwilling to make changes without
very good reason, but unafraid to do so when the reason was in view, in
short, a substantial man and a safe counselor. He was not long in perceiv-
ing the great opportunities open to investors in the rapid advance of city
values and became himself a large owner of real estate. His investments
were made with unerring foresight and never failed to add substantially to
his fortune. He was one of the group of men who built and owned what was
known as the Foster Block, situated on Asylum street. He also entered the

CONN-Vol 111-2.3

354 31ames Pftelps iFo0ter

insurance business and was in this equally successful. He was one of the
organizers and the first president of the Mechanics Savings Bank of Hart-
ford, and he was also prominently associated with other important banking
interests. At his death he was one of the oldest merchants in Hartford
although he had retired from active participation in business some years
previously. This retirement was during the sixties, at which time he
resigned as head of the firm of Foster & Company and was succeeded by his
son, Frederick Rose Foster. The elder man did not, however, give up all
active work, but continued to attend to his many and varied interests in
person, retaining his faculties in an unusual degree until the end. Among
the many interests outside of business which occupied much of his time and
attention was that connected with his membership in the Center Congre-
gational Church. He was essentially religious in nature and did a great
deal of work in advancing the cause of his church and of religion in general.
This his wealth enabled him to make very efifective and he was one of the
most prominent figures in the congregation.

James Phelps Foster married, June 25. 1826, Eunice Rose, a native of
Coventry, Connecticut, and a member of the celebrated Rose family which
has played so prominent a part in the medical annals of Connecticut. Her
grandfather, Dr. Josiah Rose, was a leading member of his profession in the
colony of Connecticut in pre-Revolutionary times and was the father of
seven sons, no less than five of whom became eminent physicians and all
who were of an age to do so served as surgeons in the Continental army
during the Revolutionary war. It was of the youngest of these seven sons,
Dr. Frederick Rose, that Mrs. Foster was the daughter. A brother of Fred-
erick Rose, John Rose, was a member of the famous Order of the Cincinnati.
Her death occurred in September, 1859. To Mr. and Mrs. Foster were born
eleven children, of whom six sons and two daughters survived their father.
The sons were all in business in Hartford at the time of their father's death,
two of them carrying on the business of Foster & Company, and of these
short accounts appear below.

The traditions of good citizenship, the reputation for substantial, honor-
able business dealings established by the father were well maintained by the
sons, and the place which the name of Foster occupied in public regard was
perpetuated. Of the two sons who carried on the business of Foster &
Company, Frederick Rose Foster was the elder. He was born in Manchester,
Connecticut, May 29, 1827, twelve years before his parents moved to Hart-
ford, and received a considerable portion of his education in his native
place. Coming to Hartford in 1839, he completed his studies in the fine
schools of that city, and later entered the firm of Foster & Company of
which his father was the head. The business, which was in wholesale
groceries, had been founded in 1830 by Mr. Foster, Sr., and grew in time to
make a specialty of foreign imports. Young Mr. Foster showed such
marked business ability that when his father decided to retire from active
management, he was chosen to succeed him, and he and his brother, George
B. Foster, thereafter constituted the firm. Frederick Rose Foster was also
a director in a number of important financial and business institutions
among which may be mentioned the Travelers Insurance Company of Hart-

3Iames Pfjelps jFo0tet 355

ford, the Security Company and the Mechanics Savings Bank. About 1901
both he and his brother retired from active business but retained an office on
State street for the management of their large estates and the transaction
of other minor business afifairs.

Frederick Rose Foster w^as united in marriage with Harriet Smith, a
native of Scotland, and to them were born two children: Frederick Rose,
Jr., who died as a young man ; and a daughter, Anne, now Mrs. N. Winslow
Williams, of Baltimore. Mr. and Mrs. Williams are the parents of three
children: Frederick Foster, a graduate of Yale University; John Winslow
and Anne Winslow. The death of Mr. Foster occurred April 10, 191 1, that
of his wife about three years earlier. He was a member of the South Con-
gregational Church for over fifty years.

George B. Foster, the second son of James Phelps Foster, who entered
the business founded by his father, was born in Hartford, November 3,
1840. He made the city of his birth his lifelong home and the scene of his
active career. He was educated in the splendid city schools and graduated
from high school. He then entered the employ of his father and elder
brother, and showed such aptness and energy that he was quickly admitted
as a member of the firm. It was he who, after the retirement of his father,
continued the business with Frederick Rose Foster, until it was finally
closed in 1901. Mr. Foster continued to live for thirteen years after his
retirement, his death occurring May 8, 1913. He is survived by a brother,
Charles Grant Foster, of Morristown, New Jersey, and his two sisters, the
Misses Alice and Emma Phelps Foster, of No. 791 Prospect avenue, Hart-
ford.

Another son of James Phelps Foster, James Phelps Foster. Jr., was also
associated with his father and brothers in business. He is also deceased.

HE PLACE TAKEN in many of the communities in this
democratic hemisphere by the great financiers and industrial
leaders is in some respects similar to that occupied by the
landed aristocracy of abroad. The great difference in the
situation being, of course, that there is nothing formal about
the relation, no acknowledgment of it in any of our institu-
tions or customs so that it could never reach the point where
it acts as a sinister influence in the hands of the unscrupulous. Nevertheless,
as remarked above, there is something analogous, the analogy existing on
the beneficent side of such relation, so that we often find some wealthy
resident assuming the position almost of patron of a town or small city and
bestowing great benefits upon it in the shape of gifts to its institutions, en-
couragements to its growth, and a general shaping of its development in a
thousand different directions, industrially, financially, educationally and
what not, so that often the debt of gratitude from the community to its
patrons is very large. Such a position was occupied in a measure towards
the bustling and prosperous town of Torrington, Connecticut, during the
past generation by the distinguished gentleman whose name heads this brief
sketch, Edwin E. Rose, known throughout the region during life and equally
mourned on the occasion of his death there on December 28, 1905.

Edwin E. Rose was a descendant of splendid old New England stock,
many branches of the Rose family having highly distingiaished themselves
in the affairs of their respective communities, and his own father being a
leading citizen of Torrington in earlier days. He was himself born in the
town of Walcott, Connecticut, on March 2, 1845, but went with his parents
to Torrington shortly afterwards and there lived during the remainder of
his life. From the outset he was a bright lad and displayed to an advantage
his talents in the local public schools which he attended for his education,
so that he graduated at an early age with more knowledge of the world, to
say nothing of his studies, than most of his elder fellow-graduates. Immedi-
ately upon completing his schooling, the youth entered the large manufac-
tory of woolen goods of which his father was the head, and was engaged in
that business until his retirement from all active business a few years prior
to his death. The concern was known as the Torrington Woolen Company
and, at his father's death, he took the elder man's place and continued in its
management until the end. The business under his masterly direction pros-
pered and grew to very great proportions and became one of the important
industries of that great manufacturing region, without a market, extending
throughout the country. Since the death of Mr. Rose the establishment has
been known as the Warrington Woolen Company of Torrington.

The business activity of Mr. Rose was, in itself, an extremely valuable
thing for Torrington, employing many hands and bringing business of
many kinds there. But in addition to this he set out to do all that he could
in every direction for the benefit of the community. A highly public-

dBDtoin dB. Eose 357

spirited man, he interested himself in every movement undertaken for the
public welfare, and if it promised any practical advantage, he did not hesitate
to give it assistance of every kind. He was extremely charitable in his
impulses, and no one of the many who came to him with real misfortunes
to complain of ever went away again unhelped. Yet though he took so keen an
interest in all the affairs of the town, and made diligent search after the true
facts in every disputed matter, he did not court the attention of the public
and remained out of local politics, for which his talents admirably fitted him,
save to the extent of doing his duty at the polls and in private discussion.
Nor was he fond of social life in any large meaning of the term, never joined
any orders or organizations of a fraternal nature and far preferred to take
his recreation in the bosom of his family and the quiet of his home. This
society he did indeed enjoy, and he never lost an opportunity to spend what
time he might by his own hearthstone with his family and more intimate
personal friends about him.

It was on Thanksgiving Day of the year 1870 that Mr. Rose was united
in marriage with Madeline A. Hamilton, a daughter of Thomas and Mary
Hamilton, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Torrington, Connecticut. It was in the
former place that Mrs. Rose was born, but at the age of five years she was
brought to the east by her parents and continued to reside in Torrington
thereafter. She is of an old and highly honored Connecticut family, and the
residence of her parents in the west was a temporary one. To Mr. and Mrs.
Rose were born seven children, four of whom, Nellie, Clififord, Lena and
Clara, are deceased. The three that survive are as follows: Edwin H.,
Ruth and Jesse T. The eldest of the three is now a resident of East Haddam,
Connecticut. He has been twice married, the first time to Maude S. Lane,
by whom he had two children, Corrinne M. and Madeline, and after her
death to Charlotte Tubs, of Hartford. The two younger children, Ruth and
Jesse T., now reside with their mother in the delightful home on South
Main street, Torrington.

There is no doubt about the fact that Mr. Rose was one of the important
men of the past generation in the growth and development of Torrington,
one of the large-hearted, clear-headed men, whose foresight and resolution
have been responsible for the building up of the great industrial centers
which dot the southern portion of New England so thickly. Typical of this
class was he in many ways, possessing their sterling virtues of integrity
and courage, that strange and most effective union of idealism and a sense
for practical afifairs so characteristic of the New England temperament. He
did much for the town of his residence in a concrete way, but perhaps the
greatest boon he conferred upon it was the example he set of broad-minded,
tolerant virtue and judicious liberality.

Bsaac &m\)tx Babts

'HERE IS ALWAYS a double reason for properly recording
the lives of those strong and worthy men whose careers
have, by their progressive wisdom, and yet strict adherence
to the principles of honor and just dealing, at once con-
tributed to the moulding of events in their own times and
set a model for the youth of future generations. These two
reasons are, in the first place, that thus only may we dis-
charge a debt of gratitude to the memory of those whom we may not reach
directly, and in the second place that we may perpetuate those memories
for the benefit of others, who might not have the advantage of coming within
the sphere of their wholesome influence save through the medium of the writ-
ten word. The profit which we may derive from such accounts are not by
any means proportionate to the brilliancy or the startling character of the
achievement; the stories of great genius, indeed, rather oppress our am-
bitions by producing a feeling of helpless inferiority. But of those who,
possessing our own type of faculties, have by a wise and courageous use of
them won success, we cannot but desire to learn, knowing that here at least
the lessons are apposite to our own circumstances, and that what has been
done by them we also may do. Such a lesson we may all most appropriately
learn in the story of the life of Isaac Beecher Davis, one of "nature's gentle-
men," who by enduring courage and persistency, coupled to an alert and
open mind, forged for himself a place in the community of his adoption of
the highest prominence and won a reputation for integrity and substantial
business methods surpassed by none. His death at his home in Hartford on
April 9, 1895, a few days prior to his seventy-eighth birthday, removed one
of its leading citizens from that place.

Mr. Davis was a son of John and Laura (Riggs) Davis, of Chestnut
Hill, Oxford, Connecticut, his paternal grandfather having been Colonel
John Davis, of the same place. Chestnut Hill is a rather stony farm lying
on the outskirts of the village and it was here, on April 15, 1817, that Mr.
Davis was born. Like most boys of his worldly circumstances, he attended
the local public school, which in those days offered what may scarcely be
called a liberal education, but the deficiencies in the institution, the lad,
with characteristic ambition and energy, made up by private reading, and
the rough school of experience, in which he was early launched. From his
childhood he disliked farming, considerable of which he was obliged to do
in the intervals of attending school, for being of a brisk, socially-inclined
nature, he sought the society of his kind more than the circumstances of an
agricultural occupation would permit. He was nevertheless obliged to per-
severe in it for a time after graduating from the school, employing his
winters in teaching in the schools he had recently attended as a pupil. This,
however, was before he had reached the age of seventeen years, when, aban-
doning the parental roof, he made his way to the city of New Haven, and
gave up rural life forever.

30aac TStetlftt Oatifs 359

Arriving in this city he at once apprenticed himself to a stone mason
with the purpose of learning his trade, at the same time continuing his
school teaching in the city. As soon as he had mastered the mason's craft,
he left New Haven, and making his way to Seymour, Connecticut, there
established himself in a contracting and building business of his own. This
was in the year 1841, when Mr. Davis was about twenty-four years of age,
and he continued in this business with much success for upwards of thirteen
years. In the autumn of 1854 he became associated with the Syracuse Coal
and Salt Company of Syracuse, Ohio, in the capacity of agent, and repaired
to that western town, where his first duty was the opening of the mine, to-
gether with the erection of the plant and the installment of the equipment.
This occupied the better part of two years, after which Mr. Davis, still as
representative of the company, went to Cincinnati, in which place he man-
aged the business. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Mr. Davis's keen
foresight grasped the opportunity, which the government's need for vessels
on the inland waters, especially the Mississippi system, would open for the
building of and the trading in boats of many kinds. Accordingly the con-
nection with the Syracuse company was severed and a partnership formed
with his friend, William A. Healy, of Cincinnati, to engage in this business.
The first venture of the kind was the purchase of the "Crescent City," a
vessel which was shortly after chartered by the United States government.
This was but the beginning of what developed into a very remunerative
trade, the two young men building and handling many boats in this way.
At the time of the threatened attack upon the city, Mr. Davis was one of
those commissioned to build the pontoon bridge across the Ohio for its
defence. Mr. Davis's health was not of the best at this period, and was,
indeed, growing steadily worse, so that in 1868 he was obliged to give up his
western residence and return to Connecticut. He now made his home in
Hartford and after a few years spent in regaining his strength and health,
he established himself in a manufacturing business there which he con-
tinued until his retirement from active life in 1890 when he turned over the
management of the industry to his only son, Mr. John O. Davis. The
article manufactured by this concern was the Berryman Feed-water Heater
and Purifier, a device for the utilization of the exhaust steam for heating
the feed water before being fed to the boiler. This was, of course, an immense
saving of energy till then lost in the escape of the exhaust steam, so that the
demand for the appliance became very great and the industry grew until it
was one of the leading concerns of Hartford. The founding of this business
occurred in 1872, before which Mr. Davis had been temporarily engaged in a
marble business, and had lived meanwhile at the old United States Hotel.
In 1891 he built himself a very handsome mansion on Farmington avenue
at the corner of Laurel street. As time went on other steam heating devices
were added to the production of the mills, many of which were inventions
of Mr. Davis's which he had patented. It stands to this day a monument to
his ability and business talent and the inventive genius with which it formed
so happy a union. For eighteen years he continued in active management
of I. B. Davis & Son, and it was as a result of his efiforts that the business

360 asaac IStetiitt Datiis

grew from its small origin to the proportions it had assumed at the time
of his death.

Nor was this by any means the only operation of importance under-
taken by Mr. Davis in Hartford. He had a very strong fondness for build-
ing things and "watching them grow," and he indulged this taste to the
great benefit of Hartford, erecting partly for his pleasure a number of sub-
stantial structures, many of them among the handsomest in the city. One
of these was the Batterson structure on High street, named after Mr. James
G. Batterson, with whom Mr. Davis was in partnership in the marble busi-
ness for a time.

Entirely outside the realm of business was his interest in many aspects
of the city's life. He had all his life been a close thinker on political matters,
and prior to the great readjustment of parties and public opinion, had always
been a supporter of the Democratic party. He was one of those who rallied
to the support of President Lincoln and from that day until his death
counted himself a Republican. As far as local affairs were concerned,
although he was allied with his party's city organization, he was quite inde-
pendent in his attitude towards local candidates and brought his influence
to bear in favor of the men he thought individually the best. He personally
held a membership on the Hartford Board of Health for a number of years,
but as a rule he rather shrank from than sought honors of this kind. He
was a member of Morning Star Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Sey-
mour, Connecticut. Mr. Davis was affiliated with the Episcopal church and
a member of Christ Parish for many years. He was a man of strong religious
feelings and gave much of his time, thought and energy to the furtherance of
the church work and religious interests generally. For many years he held
the ofiice of vestryman.

Mr. Davis was twice married. His first wife was Maria Ann Tucker, a
native of Seymour, Connecticut, and a daughter of Sheldon and Nancy
(Keeney) Tucker, of that place. Born to them were five children, as fol-
lows: Mary N., who resides with a brother at No. 183 High street, Hart-
ford; Otis, deceased; Lillie A., a gifted musician, now deceased; John, de-
ceased; John O., now the head of the firm of L B. Davis & Son. The death
of Mr. Davis's first wife occurred in 1865, and in 1872 he married Mrs.
Josephine H. Kenyon, of Hartford, a lady of Scotch ancestry, who survives
her husband and is now living at No. t,^^ Laurel street.

The gracious, dignified figure of Mr. Davis, so familiar in his life on the
streets of Hartford, was typical of much that was best in New England
society. He was in every way a "gentleman of the old school," courtly,
reserved and yet easy of access to any who sought him, full of artistic appre-
ciation and familiar with the things of culture and a cosmopolitan interest in
the world. He had an abiding affection for the graces of an age which was
passing even in his time, yet in no way did he keep his eyes closed to the
progress of events, but kept well abreast of the times in every particular.
Nor was this merely in the business and industrial world, in the latter of
which he may be said rather to have led the advance than to have followed,
but even in his pleasures, and it is said of him that he was the owner of the
first rubber-tired buggy in the city of Hartford, if not in the State of Connec-

asaac TBcecfjer Datiis 361

ticut. And this brings us to one of his chief pleasures, that which he took
in outdoor life generally and all that had to do with horses in particular.

He was a genial man and mixed easily with his fellows, seemingly able
to find a common ground of sympathy with everyone. Yet he was not
afraid of their opinion, as so often happens with popular men, but went
serenely on what he believed the best way, without too much regard for what
others thought of it, as is amply shown by his bringing out. in the face of
hostile criticism, not unmixed with ridicule, a number of his mechanical
inventions, notably his pump, now in general use. One of the strongest
feelings which actuated him was that of patriotism, and it was his entire
devotion to the great though youthful nation, in the form it had been be-
queathed us by the great men of the past, that influenced him to put aside
his strong allegiance to the old Democratic party and range himself among
the followers of Abraham Lincoln in support of the integrity of the Union.
It has been remarked above that Mr. Davis was full of artistic taste and
appreciation, and in no way was this so strongly shown as in his fondness
for music. In this art his natural appreciation had been cultivated by ample
opportunity to hear the best and he held quite a reputation as a critic. An-
other taste which he indulged as much as his duties would permit, was for
travel. Of this he was extremely fond, but it was not until after his retire-
ment from the active management of his business that he was able to do
anything very much in this line. In the five years intervening between his
retirement and death, he was, however, able to see considerable of the world,
and three years before the latter event, he went to Europe and spent a long
period there. It is impossible within the compass of a brief article such as
this to properly develop the character of so many-sided a man as Mr. Davis.
All that can be done is to suggest these sides, and dwell as well as may be
on the splendid virtues which bound them together into so unique and
striking a personality. His was a life that benefited all who touched it, even
the most casually, and may truly be said to have made the world better
through its example.

'HE BIOGRAPHIES of representative men of a community,
either of a past or present generation, bring to light many
hidden treasures of mind, heart and character, well calcul-
ated to arouse the pride of their descendants and of the com-
munity, and it is a source of regret that the people are not
more familiar with the history of such men, in the ranks of
whom may be found tillers of the soil, merchants, financiers,
mechanics, teachers, statesmen, lawyers, physicians, and representatives of
other vocations and professions. Hartford, Connecticut, has been the home
and scene of labor of many men who have not only led lives which should
serve as a lesson and inspiration to those who follow them on to the stage
of life's activities, but who have also been of commendable service in im-
portant avenues of usefulness along various lines. The late William Dudley
Hubbard, of Hartford, Connecticut, whose death left a wide gap in the
business and social world of the community, was one of the world's useful
workers, a man of well rounded character, sincere, devoted and loyal, so that
there are many salient points which render appropriate a tribute to his
memory in this compilation. By a life consistent in motive and because of his
many fine qualities of head and heart he earned the sincere regard of a vast
acquaintance, and his success in his chosen field of endeavor bespoke for
him the possession of superior attributes.

Hon. Richard Dudley Hubbard, his father, was born in Berlin, Hartford
county, Connecticut, September 7, 1818. His origin was an humble one,
and he was left orphaned at an early age with barely sufficient funds to
complete his education. His father established the first, or nearly the first,
button manufactory in the State of Connecticut, and that, going to Fayette-
ville, North Carolina, a great button mart at that time, he accidentally
found his wife, in the person of a Miss Dudley, a native of that State, whom
he married and brought home, and hence the name of Dudley in his family.
The manufacturing enterprise proved a failure, with considerable loss to the
elder Mr. Hubbard, who died, leaving a diminished patrimony to his chil-
dren.

The youthful days of Richard D. Hubbard were spent in East Hartford,
where he prepared for college at a noted school under the preceptorship of
Theodore L. Wright, a graduate of Yale College. He was then living in the
family of Charles H. Olmsted, and in order to husband his small patrimony
for his college expenses, he undertook some light household duties in return
for his board, a customary thing in those days. Later he matriculated at
Yale College, from which institution he was graduated in the class of 1839.
While a student there he paid special attention to belles lettres and oratory,
both of which branches were of inestimable advantage to him in his later
career as a jurist. He took several prizes in English composition, and was
chosen one of the editors of the "Yale Literary Magazine." In the earlier
part of Mr. Hubbard's professional life, he was an absorbed reader of the

M3iIUam DuDlep l£)uftliatD 363

best of England's authors, and afterwards, when severer studies took control
of him, he was still a lover of the great themes of Milton, Shakespeare, and
the harvest of giants who made illustrious the reigns of Elizabeth and James
the First, and he could easily be recalled, in leisure hours, to these, his early-
loves.

Upon leaving Yale College he at once engaged in the study of the legal
profession, reading under the preceptorship of William Hungerford, and
was admitted to the bar in 1842. In the course of time he became the first
lawyer of the State and the greatest orator it possessed in his time. This
was owing mainly to his thorough preparation of his cases, to his perfect
comprehension of legal principles, to the method and manner of his addresses
to the higher courts, the deference of his appeals to the judges upon ques-
tions of law, never overstepping the quiet and impressive enforcement of his
views, and never betrayed into declamation, anxious not to persuade but
rather to convince the tribunal, ambitious only to merit and obtain the repu-
tation of a learned and accomplished lawyer, maintaining professional integ-
rity. In the trial of cases he was earnest and exacting. For opposition
founded upon intrigue and maintained by chicanery he had unmeasured
contempt; and in later years, at times, seemed impatient of vigorous opposi-
tion, an impatience which sometimes approached intolerance. With un-
usually sound judgment he combined great quickness of apprehension and
brilliancy of imagination; he possessed a rare fineness of discrimination
united with an unlimited grasp of mind. He had no relish and but little
respect for the mere technicalities of the law and was never led astray by a
fondness for legal casuistry. Of an eminently philosophical turn of mind,
the study of philosophical systems and abstract speculation was a constant
source of recreation to him, and he was especially interested in the great
mysteries and bafiling questions of life.

Mr. Hubbard was honored by election to the office of State's Attorney
during the terms 1847-54 and 1857-69. His political affiliations were with
the Democratic party, but he was never dominated by partisanship, and
during the period of the Civil War was conspicuous for his patriotism. He
was elected to Congress on the Democratic ticket in 1867, and at the end of
his term of service declined renomination. He was elected Governor of the
State in 1876, being the first to serve under the two years' term, and in his
first message strongly called the attention of the legislature to the injustice
done to the women by the antiquated law governing their property rights in
marriage, and under his supervision the act of 1877, making a radical change
in the property relations of husband and wife, and based upon the principle
of equality, was drafted and passed. In his annual message to the legisla-
ture in January, 1877, he also spoke on suffrage, State finances, retrench-
ment of State expenditures, savings banks, insurance companies, railroads,
State prison, industrial school for girls, the National Guard, military inter-
ference in the States, and in his annual message to the Legislature, January,
1878, he spoke on legislative procedure, administration of justice, legal pro-
cedure, change of probate courts, embezzlement by trustees, statutes relat-
ing to perjury, corporation laws, married women, restoration of forfeited
rights, storage reservoirs and dams, railroads, act relating to railroad and

364 COilliam DuDlep I^ubliatD

other employees, railroad riots, National Guard, executive power, insurance
companies, savings banks, State finances, State tax, State debt, State capitol,
salaries, retrenchment, Northampton company, common schools, the insane
poor soldiers of the late war. State prison. State boundaries, and national
affairs.

His fame as an orator was widespread, and in addition to great natural
powers in this direction he displayed abilities which had been acquired by
careful and well chosen study along special lines of thought. His addresses
at memorial meetings of the Bar Association were specially notable in this
respect, and the one upon William Hungerford, who had been beyond any
other man the representative of the ancient school of English lawyers in the
State, and who died in extreme old age in 1873, is one of the finest pieces of
composition that the English language has ever known. Governor Hub-
bard might have been still better known in public life had he so desired, but
the quiet of his well-stocked library, the charms of the home circle where
were gathered a select circle of friends, appealed to him more strongly than
public ofiice and honor. His wife, Mary (Morgan) Hubbard, was a woman
of considerable amiability and charm of manner, whose gracious personality
rendered her popular with all.

Governor Hubbard passed away at his late residence in Hartford, Con-
necticut, February 28, 1884, and the expressions of public and private sor-
row were universal. The press was of one accord, sounding the same
note, and awakening the same echoes. The Legislature was in session, and
both houses paused to do him honor. The City Council took appropriate
action, and the bar of Hartford county emphasized the degree of its loss, as
follows:

The bar of Hartford county, called together by the death of Richard D. Hubbard,
place upon record this tribute to their honored leader and loved associate:

Mr. Hubbard had won the first place in his profession ; but while others have done
this, he took a step beyond and created a place which no one but himself could fill. It
was not mere professional abilit}' that distinguished him above his fellows — it was pro-
fessional ability permeated by a personality so rare th.-it there could be no question of
equality where there was no possibility of comparison. He laid the foundations of suc-
cess by grappling with the toughest drudgery of the profession, with a persistence that
nothing could shake. Yet all this groundwork was enlivened by a spirit so fresh, a
humor so sparkling, an ease so natural, that the result of his severest labors seemed
rather the inspiration of the moment, and we lost sight of the fact that he was really one
of the hardest of workers.

He was eloquent ; but his eloquence was entirely his own. His quiver was filled
with every arrow that could legitimately be used. Logic, solid and compact; rhetoric,
fresh and natural ; humor, sarcasm, invective, pathos — all were used, and in his own
peculiar way, not for the mere sake of use. but as occasion required, to accomplish some
specific object, with an unerring instinct as to the fitness of time and place. And run-
ning through all his eloquence, distinguishing his illustrations, the fitting of words, the
turning of phrases, and even the putting of syllogisms, was that masterful wit which
consists in pleasing surprises and holds the hearer, not only by the force of what is said,
but by the witchery of constant expectation

He looked upon the law as an arena for professional struggle, and was, in the best
sense, a stalwart fighter. Indeed, a certain healthy and vigorous combativeness that
squarely met every obstacle, asking no quarter, was one of his most marked characteris-
tics and largely contributed to his success. In the trial of a cause, he was like a .soldier
armed at every point, fighting for his client with an utter fearlessness and an energy un-
tiring to the end. But his combats had no tinge of bitterness. They never left a sting ; and

COilliam Dudlep l^ub6arD 365

were marked by a generosity that received with hearty admiration well-directed blows
fairly given.

In counsel, the rare suggestiveness of his mind was conspicuous, and in argument
of questions of law he exhibited the highest qualities of the jurist. A broad and yet
clear conception of legal principles, the power of keen analysis, often subtle, but rarely
unsound, a nice discrimination in the application of law to facts, made his arguments a
valuable and lasting contribution to the jurisprudence of the State. He never forgot
the lawyer in the advocate. In the performance of every professional duty he "exercised
his office with fidelity as well to the court as to his client."

As a public man Mr. Hubbard illustrated anew the truth that the most unselfish
patriotism and purest execution of public trusts is found in those drawn from the ranks
of our profession. He carried into public life the same industry, eloquence, fearless
advocacy, broad and vigorous thoughtfulness and sterling integrity that marked him as
a lawyer. But his life was mainly given to his profession. He held office long enough
to accomplish some lasting good and to prove how much the State has lost.

The records of the court will bear witness to Mr. Hubbard's rare professional ability
— the records of the State will testify to his public service ; but the virtues of the man,
just, generous, loving, true — binding to him through a long life by unbroken links of
firmest friendship all who have really known him — these can have no permanent record ;
they live only in the hearts and lives of his friends.

On the day of his ftmeral the city was in mourning. From the Capitol,
the City Hall, and many public buildings the State and National colors
floated at half-mast, and there was a partial suspension of business in the
afternoon. The service at his late residence was conducted by the Rev. Mr.
Watson of the Church of the Good Shepherd, of which Governor Hubbard
was a communicant. The remains were then taken to the South Congrega-
tional Church, which proved inadequate to hold all who gathered to pay
homage to his memory. The service there was conducted by the Rev. Dr.
Parker, who spoke, in part, as follows:

The public press has fitly voiced the feeling of tender sorrow that pervades our
afflicted city ; honorable members of the State Legislature have recalled Mr. Hubbard's
distinguished services to our Commonwealth, and have testified of the high esteem in
which his name and memory are held by the people of Connecticut ; his brethren of the
legal profession have justly and eloquently eulogized their illustrious and beloved chief,
delineating his character, remarking his solid and shining intellectual endowments,
reviewing his signal success in his chosen profession, and his no less brilliant success as
a statesman and orator. It is, therefore, unnecessary that, on this occasion, I should
speak of him in his professional or political relations. Let me simply indicate the vital
relation of the man's character to the singular success which he has achieved, and to
the admiration, pride and honor, in which he is justly held. * * * He was a truth-
loving, truth-seeking, truth-speaking, truth-acting, truth-exacting man. * * * Not
only in matters of business and politics, but in the affairs of society, and in the personal
and intimate relations of life, this splendid sincerity, this absolute truthfulness of nature,
was evident. Men knew that he was incapable of falsity and could be trusted utterly.
He was a singularly honorable man. His standard of honor was a lofty one, his sense
of honor was keen. * * * He never took unfair advantage. He never dealt a foul
blow. * * * There was a great, warm, generous heart in Mr. Hubbard, overflowing
with human kindness, for with him justice was not that literal and legal skeleton v/hich
does duty in the dissecting rooms of scholastic philosophy, but a living and spiritual
virtue in whose heart are fountains of mercy and tenderness. How kind, how gentle,
how generous he was — except to himself. * * * He was unfathomable and un-
accountable on the spiritual side of his nature. There was something awful in the
greatness of his secrets, in his will and power to carry alone burdens and sorrows and
doubts. He looked out into the unseen things, as it seemed to me, with the calm, sad
eyes of the Sphynx. * * * Fellow citizens, as we review the names of our illustrious
dead in Connecticut, behold how numerous they are and how they make our annals
shine. Among these bright historic names is now enrolled the name of Richard Dudley
Hubbard. * * *

366 COilliam DuDIep fi)ulibatD

William Dudley Hubbard, son of Hon. Richard Dudley Hubbard, was
born in Hartford, Connecticut, December 6, 1850, and died in a private
sanitarium in Enfield, Connecticut, March 12, 1914, after an illness of ten
years' duration, which he bore with an uncomplaining cheerfulness and an
amount of patience as inexhaustible as it was admirable. He acquired a
sound and practical education in the public schools of his native city, being
graduated with a creditable record from the high school. While his father
was Governor of the State, Mr. Hubbard served as executive secretary, and
displayed great ability while the incumbent of that office. For a time he was
a member of the firm of Hubbard & Farmer, bankers and brokers, with
offices in Central Row. He was a member of the New York Stock Exchange,
and he was also at one time president and treasurer of the Side-Weight
Horse Shoe Company. It is sad to relate that during the last ten years of
his life he was almost bedridden as a result of paralysis.

Mr. Hubbard married, September 15, 1875, Alice B. Fiege, a daughter of
the late Augustus F. Fiege, of Hartford. They had children: Dudley W.,
assistant cashier of "Hartford Aetna," and James P., who died at the age
of three years. A sister, Mrs. Arthur K. Brocklesby, also survived her
brother.

Thus, in a brief way, has been outlined the career of William Dudley
Hubbard. The cause of humanity never had a truer friend than this valued
gentleman who has passed to the higher life. The stereotyped words cus-
tomary on such occasions seem but mockery in writing of such a man when
we remember all the grand traits of which his character was composed. In
all the relations of life — family, church, State and society — he displayed that
consistent gentlemanly spirit, that innate refinement and unswerving integ-
rity that endeared him alike to man, woman and child.

3lames ^mttJ) burton

E ARE PRONE to think that the fate of those who must start
out upon the sea of life in these strenuous latter days with-
out influence as peculiarly difficult, in view of the tre-
mendous strug-gle for existence, the competition, keener
now, perhaps, than ever before, with which he must contend
from the outset. And it is natural that we should feel so and
forget in viewing the difficulties that beset us those with
which our forefathers had to deal in years gone by. Yet, though they may
have been of a very different kind, they were great enough, and it is very
much to be questioned whether they did not require as great courage, per-
severance and self-sacrifice in the overcoming as do those that have replaced
them. Nature seems to have a way of balancing up fairly equally the pleas-
ures and hardships of life, and those difficulties that we encounter to-day
springing from the control that the great established powers have upon
trade are in a measure compensated for by a thousand improvements, such
as secure homes, easy transportation and the ample protection of the laws
of a highly developed society. However this may be, we may regard it as
certain that the obstacles to those who, starting from the bottom of the
ladder, seek to ascend to the position of success, seem great enough in all
ages, and equally certain that all ages have their multitudes of strong men
who have disregarded them and pushed one to achievement and fortune.
One of these men, who during the last generation in New England has set
an example to posterity for courage and ability was James Smith Burton, of
Hartford, Connecticut, whose death at Portland, Maine, August 4, 1905,
deprived it of one of its leading inhabitants. He was not a native of Hart-
ford or of Connecticut, but came of an old and well known Massachusetts
family, and his youthful associations are with that State.

James Smith Burton was born April 24, 1839, in South Boston. Massa-
chusetts, and there passed his childhood and youth in pursuance of his educa-
tion which he obtained in the excellent local schools. He was of an extremely
enterprising nature and was, even in boyhood always impatient to be out in
the world and shifting for himself. Accordingly he left school somewhat
early and shortly afterwards established himself in the cracker business
which, under his able direction, prospered from the outset. He was one of
the pioneers in this particular line and the trade methods at that time were
crude enough, but perseverance accomplished wonders and in course of
time he built up a large business. Mr. Burton's headquarters were, for a
period of years, situated at Lyme, Massachusetts, and from that as a center
he used to travel all over the New England States carrying his wares in
large stages, like a ship with its cargoes for trade and exchange, and sell
them to the keepers of stores and inns in town and country. This somewhat
arduous but by no means unremunerative business was continued for up-
wards of eighteen years by Mr. Burton, during the course of which time
he amassed a very comfortable fortune and came to be regarded in the
community as one of its substantial citizens. It was the desire of Mr. Bur-

368 3fanie0 %mitb IButton

ton, notwithstanding the success he had met with, to alter the nature of his
occupation and it was in pursuance of this intention that he applied himself
to the study of veterinary surgery during the latter years of his commercial
career. This was no easy task in consideration of the fact that he was
obliged to fill the obligations of his other calling at the same time, yet he
was eminently successful, and about the year 1875 saw him embarked in
his new profession, first in Middletown, Connecticut, and eventually in
Hartford, where he continued to make his home during the remainder of his
life. His success as veterinarian was not less than as merchant and he rose
to the position of one of the leading citizens of his adopted community with
an enviable reputation for conscientious dealing and ability not surpassed
by anyone in the entire district. He followed this profession between thirty-
five and forty years.

Dr. Burton took an active part in many other departments of the city's
life than his professional one, and was a distinguished figure in each and
every one. He was a strong supporter of the principles and policies of the
Republican party, and though his other duties of course prevented him from
entering local politics or considering as a possibility the holding of any
public ofiice, nevertheless his allegiance was one of considerable value to the
party as his influence was strong among his associates. He attended the
Congregational church.

Dr. Burton was united in marriage with Elmira Perkins, a native of
Bridgton, Maine, and a daughter of James Perkins, of that place. They
became the parents of three children, as follows: Charles E., died April 29,
1866; James Everett, died March 26, 1871 ; Minnetta Eva, who was twice
married, the first time to John Frisbie Bolles to whom she bore two chil-
dren, Helen Sylvia and Burton Watson, and who died June 28, 1892. Her
second marriage was with Theodore Babcock Dickerson, their residence
being at No. 727 Farmington avenue, Hartford. Mrs. Elmira (Perkins)
Burton died August 29, 1876, at the age of forty-one years. In 1893 Mr.
Burton was married to Ella Berry, a daughter of Andrew and Caroline
(Peabody) Berry, of Gardiner, Maine. Mrs. Burton survives her hsuband
and is now a resident in Hartford.

James Smith Burton was a splendid example of the best type of New
Englander. Energetic and uncompromising in seeking the ends that he
proposed to himself, tenacious of his beliefs and opinions, he was, notwith-
standing, scrupulous in his regard for others' rights and tolerant of their
opinions, arrogating nothing to himself that he was not prepared to accord
to his fellow-men. Just and generous, ready always to respond to an appeal
for aid, yet so modest that but few ever realized the extent of his benevo-
lence. Dr. Burton united in himself a group of characteristics that rarely
fail to win theia- possessor devoted friendship on the part of many. Those
who associated with him were inevitably drawn to him if they possessed
natures responsive to generous virtue with the result that he had a great
host of well-wishers and friends, whose devotion he returned in like kind.
His tastes were of the open-air, manly variety which are apt to make men
popular with their fellows, driving being an especial favorite. Altogether
he was a personality calculated to influence powerfully the circles in which
he revolved, and the emotions of sincere aft'ection and regret awakened by
his death prove well enough how beneficent that influence was.

(ileorge anDreto ^tougtjton

jFTEN IN THE personal annals of the New England States
we meet with the accounts of men who seem in an extra-
ordinary degree identified with the growth and development
of the particular towns or cities where they have made their
homes. Identified to such an extent, indeed, that they seem
almost to play the part of good fairies, who have been given
an especial mission to cause the fortunate communities to
flourish, and who, accordingly, take a part in running all their afifairs, the
government, the finances, the mercantile and industrial enterprises, the
education of the children, the aid of the helpless, everything, in short, with
which a community must busy itself, and that in so masterly a manner that
the prosperity of the places are insured from the outset. Such a part was
played for the town of Thomaston, Litchfield county, Connecticut, during
the past generation by George Andrew Stoughton, the distinguished gentle-
man whose name heads this brief sketch, and whose death there, September
4, 1914, was a loss quite irreparable to the town.

Born on Town Hill, Plymouth, Connecticut, before Thomaston had
been separated from the mother community, on November 19, 1834, he was
related to many of the most prominent families in that neighborhood. His
parents were Andrew and Julia (Hooker) Stoughton, the mother being a
descendant of the Rev. Thomas Hooker of Colonial fame who, with a de-
voted band of fellow worshippers, settled on the bank of the Connecticut
river in 1638 and there founded Hartford. The early life of Mr. Stoughton
was spent like that of most boys of his day and generation in New England,
that is, in little play and much work, most of the latter being directed to the
task of gaining an education. This occupation he pursued in the local public
school until the completion of his sixteenth year, when conditions were of
such a nature that it became necessary for him to seek some calling in
which he could earn his livelihood. His appearance at this age was much in
his advantage and rendered it a task of no especial difficulty, the face sug-
gesting convincingly the bright, alert mind behind. He was not long in his
search before he secured a clerical position with Henry Terry of Plymouth
in the latter's store there. With Mr. Terry he remained for upwards of two
years, and then found a better position in the similar establishment of Burr
Hemingway at Terryville, Connecticut. Thrifty and industrious, it was
not long before Mr. Stoughton was able to gratify an ambition he had long
held, that of embarking upon an independent venture and engagmg in
business on his own account. Not more than a year from his entering the
employ of Burr Hemingway, and when he was still under twenty years of
age, Mr. Stoughton began his new enterprise, his establishment being in the
form of a general store and situated in Terryville. In the spring of 1856,
when he was about twenty-two years of age, Mr. Stoughton removed with
his whole establishment to Thomaston, Connecticut, which was to remain

CONN— Vol III— 24

Xjo (©eorge 3nDtettJ ©tougijton

thereafter his home and the scene of his activity until the time of his death.
Thomaston was then known as Plymouth Hollow and had not yet been
made a separate town, and here Mr. Stoughton began a number of mer-
cantile ventures one after another, and selling out his interest therein
shortly after, making a successful transaction in each case. Finally, about
1857, he formed a partnership with D. A. Burr, the firm being known as
Burr & Stoughton, and engaged in a general mercantile trade. The venture
was a success from the outset. Day by day and year by year it grew, until
the concern was doing the second largest general store business in the State
of Connecticut. For twenty-five years this partnership continued, during
which time the members of the firm made handsome fortunes, and Mr.
Stoughton became interested in many other concerns in that locality. One
of the most important of these was the organization of the Thomaston
Savings Bank in 1874, which was due in a large measure to the enterprise
and indefatigable energy^ of Mr. Stoughton. He was the head and front of
the group of men who organized the institution, and besides supplying the
necessary courage to his associates, he personally secured the charter and
even went so far as to advance the money for the purchase of the fixtures
and equipment for the offices, which were located in the building now
occupied by the Thomaston National Bank. He was elected treasurer of
the concern, upon its foundation and held that office for fourteen years,
giving the utmost attention and efl^ort to its atTairs, so that there can be no
doubt that he contributed more than any other man to the great prosperity
enjoyed by the institution, and to the high standing among the banking
houses of the State which it holds to this day. He was eventually succeeded
by his eldest son, George H. Stoughton, in the office of treasurer, but con-
tinued a director until the time of his death. The true disinterestedness of
his services to the savings bank, and through that to the people of Thomas-
ton, is well shown in the fact that he served through the long period as
treasurer at merely a nominal salary. Another of the concerns, this time an
industrial one, with which Mr. Stoughton was connected was the American
Knife Company of Thomaston, of which, also, he was the treasurer and a
director for many years, and with the success of which he had much to do.
He came to be regarded as one of the leading figures of the business world
in that part of the State and his advice and judgment were so highly prized
that towards the latter part of his life, he was asked to administer a great
many estates, which he did with the greatest impartiality and success.

One of Mr. Stoughton's greatest interests was the matter of education
for the young, and to this absorbing subject he gave a large proportion of his
time and energy. He became a member of the Thomaston Board of Educa-
tion in 1875, ^nd held that office continuously until the time of his death, a
period of about twenty-nine years, and only resigned from his post a few
weeks before his death and when suffering from his last illness. For the
final ten years of that long term, he acted as the secretary for the board.
One of the best achievements, in his own view, accomplished by him in con-
nection with the educational affairs of the town, was the inauguration of
the school savings bank in which the school children are encouraged to
deposit their savings. The first such deposit was made in January, 1913,

<£>cotge aiiDtetD ^tougftton 371

and the bank now contains some sixteen hundred dollars, an average of one
hundred dollars for each of the one hundred and sixty pupils of the school.

The sum of Mr. Stoughton's services to the community are even yet far
from complete in the brief survey of his career. Not less than in any other
department of activity, has he done good work for the town in politics, in
which, from his youth upwards, he was keenly interested. A Republican in
his beliefs, he allied himself with the local organization of his party and
before long was recognized by his confreres as a leader. He was elected
to a number of town offices such as tax collector, town agent and member of
the Board of Relief, and many others. In the year 1873, while yet Plymouth
and Thomaston were one community, Mr. Stoughton was elected to the
State Legislature, as a representative of that place, and again, in 1899, after
the separation, he was reelected from Thomaston. In this, as in all the other
public offices he held, Mr. Stoughton displayed the greatest devotion to the
cause of his constituents and the community at large, the esteem and regard
felt for him by his fellow townsmen, ever increasing. Mr. Stoughton was
a man of strong religious feelings and beliefs, and a member for many years
of the First Congregational Church of Thomaston. He was a supporter of
the work of the church and served it in many capacities, having at one time
been superintendent of the Sunday school, and later senior deacon, holding
that office until his death.

Mr. Stoughton was united in marriage, March 11, 1855, with Mary A.
Hemingway, of Chicago, a daughter of Allen and Maryett (Lindsey) Hem-
ingway. Five children were born to them, four of whom survive their
father. They are: George N. and Andrew, both residents of Hartford;
Edward C, of Thomaston, and Lizzie, wife of Rev. Fred H. Sawyer, of
Woodbury, Connecticut. The fifth child, a daughter Nellie, died in infancy.
Mrs. Stoughton survives her husband and is still a resident of Thomaston.

This sketch cannot be more appropriately ended than by the words of a
dear friend, who wrote of Mr. Stoughton these appreciative remarks at the
time of his death: "He has done his full share of the world's work, done it
in the best possible way, and done it for about twice the length of time that
most men are privileged to do it. He has by his sympathetic, unselfish inter-
est in everything that goes to make the individual or the community happy,
done more in proportion to his means than any man I have ever known. In
him was no cant, no hypocrisy, no pretence, but always and forever, a
hearty, sympathetic interest in all who were in trouble or distress, not an
interest that exhausted itself in words, but a sympathy that found expres-
sion in real substantial help."

Samuel C. iSecfelep

'HE CHARACTER OF a community is determined in a large
measure by the lives of a comparatively few^ of its members.
If its moral and intellectual status be good, if in a social way
it is a pleasant place in which to reside, if its reputation for
the integrity of its citizens has extended into other localities,
it will be found that the standards set by its leading men
have been high and their influence such as to mold the char-
acters and shape the lives of those with whom they mingle. In placing the
late Samuel C. Beckley, of Canaan, Litchfield county, Connecticut, in the
front rank of such men, an act of justice is done, recognized throughout the
locality long honored by his citizenship by those at all familiar with his
history. Although a quiet and unassuming man, he contributed much to
the civic and moral advancement of his community, while his admirable
qualities of head and heart and the straightforward, upright course of his
daily life won for him the esteem and confidence of the circles in which he
moved, and gave him a reputation for integrity and correct conduct such as
few achieve, so that, although he is now sleeping "the sleep of the just," his
influence still lives, and his memory is still greatly revered.

John Adam Beckley, father of the Mr. Beckley of this sketch, and a de-
scendant of Squire Forbes, founder of the iron industry in Canaan, followed
in the footsteps of this ancestor, and successfully founded and operated an
iron furnace on the lower road to East Canaan, this being later purchased by
the Barnum, Richardson Company. Subsequently he was the owner of
furnaces near Housatonic, at North Adams and at Chatham, New York, his
death occurring in the last mentioned town. He married Sally D. Munson,
and they had children : Myron, who died at the age of twenty years ; James,
who owned and operated iron furnaces in Dover, New York, and at various
other places, and who died in 1888; and Samuel C, the particular subject of
this review.

Samuel C. Beckley was born September 30, 1845, and died September
15, 1910, as a result of heart trouble, rather suddenly, although he had been
somewhat ailing for a few weeks prior to his death, but no serious result of
this ailment had been apprehended. His birth occurred on the old Beckley
homestead, which stood at the time on the present site of Mrs. Corbit's
residence, but which was later removed to the west of this location. He
was still very young when he engaged in a mercantile career, but he dis-
played business ability far in advance of his years. At North Adams, Mas-
sachusetts, he conducted a store in connection with the furnaces operated
by his father, and there Sheridan Barnes became associated with him in the
conduct of this store, thus commencing a friendship which remained uninter-
rupted until severed by death.

There was formerly a store on the east side of the Housatonic tracks,
about where the drinking fountain now stands, and in 1866 Mr. Beckley pur-
chased the interest in this held by Deacon Charles Kellogg, the name of

Samuel C TBecblep 373

the firm being changed to read Brown & Beckle3% with Luther Brown as
senior partner, he having formerly been the associate of Deacon Kellogg.
Mr. Brown's health failed, and in August, 1866, he sold out his share in the
business to Mr. Beckley, who was also for a number of years postmaster and
telegraph operator. It became necessary to remove the old store in 1871,
owing to the construction of the Connecticut Western Railway, and the
building was sold to Patrick Lynch, moved to Railroad street, and there it
is still standing in reasonably good condition. Mr. Beckley removed to the
Town Hall buildings where he transacted business for a number of years.
Commercial business was not, however, sufficiently congenial occupation for
a man of Mr. Beckley's intellectuality, and we find him, in 1883, proprietor
and editor of "The Connecticut Western News," which he had purchased
from Colonel Hardenbergh. As an editor he was of great service to the
town, not alone because of the high standard of the editorials which he
wrote, but for the fact that he collected numberless tales and anecdotes of
the town and its environment, and by printing them in the columns of his
valuable paper gave them permanent record which has been of the greatest
possible assistance to the historians of recent years. In addition to editing
and publishing this paper, Mr. Beckley conducted a general printing business
with great success until he sold it, April 2, 1906, to the Canaan Printing
Company, and at this time retired from active business responsibilities. By
natural disposition a devout man, he was one of the leaders in the move-
ment for preaching services at the hall, and this was the spur toward the
organization of the Pilgrim Congregational Church. He was of an intensely
patriotic nature, and all holidays would find him hanging out the old flag
which blew from the town flag stafif throughout the fateful days of the Civil
War. It was greatly to his regret that he was unsuccessful in a movement
he started some years prior to his death, for the erection of a soldiers' monu-
ment. His fraternal affiliation was with the Order of Free and Accepted
Masons.

Mr. Beckley married, December 29, 1869, Rhoda Eliza Gillette, a
daughter of Charles Gillette, and a descendant through him from one of the
oldest families in the town. She is a woman of much charm of manner, and,
like her husband, has the gift of making and retaining friends. She is very
domestic in her tastes, loving her home better than any other place, and
there she evinces at all times the old fashioned spirit of true hospitality. Of
the two children born of this union, the elder, a daughter, died in infancy,
and the other is John Gillette Beckle3^ well knov/n in the younger circles of
society in Canaan. Mr. Beckley had been a charter member of Housatonic
Lodge, and he was buried with Masonic rites, which were conducted by
Grand Steward Leonard J. Nickerson.

Personally, Mr. Beckley was generous hearted and no needy person
ever appealed to him in vain — indeed, many of his charitable acts were
entirely unsolicited, though in this, as in everything else he did, he was
entirely undemonstrative, caring little for the plaudits of the multitude, as
long as he had the approval of his own conscience. He understood well the
springs of human motive and action, so that he was kindly and tolerant in
his judgment, and ever ready to lend a helping hand to any worthy move-

374 ©amuci C. IBecblep

ment. His long residence in Canaan, his upright life and mature judgment,
and the many services he rendered made his name a synonym for character
and worth. He was a man of sterling characteristics of head and heart, and
among his fellows he was looked upon as a man among men, one whose
memory will long be revered in his home city. It is fitting that this article
should close with a tribute to his worth which appeared in "The Connecticut
Western News" at the time of his death and which is here given, but not in
its entirety:

"Why is it that we never fully realize how much we think of our friends until death
comes to take them away from us?" Such was the remark of a lifelong citizen — a man
not given to sentiment nor swayed by emotion — referring to the passing away of Sam-
uel C. Beckley. And how truthful and apt the remark as applied to "Sam" Beckley!
For three-score years he had been among us, the familiar friend of three generations of
Canaanites, much of the time in close personal and business relationship with the whole
community. The very intimacy of his uninterrupted association with the people perhaps
gives a peculiar aptness to the tribute. In his daily commg and going, through all these
years, he was to us as familiar a figure as any landmark in the town. Few of us can
remember when we had no "Sam" Beckley with us, and the shock of the sudden knowl-
edge that we have him no m.ore, brings with it a realization of the full measure of our
regard for him. Now that he is gone we realize "how much we thought of him." "Sam"
Beckley was distinctly a Canaan son, with an inborn affection for his home town that
asserted itself all through his life He had witnessed its growth and expansion from a
scattered, rustic hamlet, to its present proportions as a progressive and beautiful little
metropolis of the "hill county," and had played no small part in that growth and develop-
ment. He was at once conservative and progressive. He would be

Not the first by whom the new is tried.
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.

He would espouse no cause, nor lend his support to any movement afifecting the
public welfare, until convinced of the merit of that cause or movement, and once hi.s
convictions were formed he followed them consistently and conscientiously. It Was in
his conduct of "The Connecticut Western News," during his twenty-three years' incum-
bency as editor and publisher, that Mr. Beckley revealed himself most fully and clearly
as a man of sincerity, public spirit and local patriotism. His newspaper work was char-
acterized by a painstaking regard for truth, accuracy and fairness, and above all, a
manifest desire to conserve the best interests of the community.

He was a man of intensely sensitive nature, deeply sympathetic and broadly chari-
table ; in his friendships he was loyalty itself, and in his generosity self-forgetting.
Many have cause to remember his quiet, timely deeds of charity and kindness, performed
without ostentation, and to him the words of eulogy pronounced upon another, would
fitly apply : "Were everyone for whom he did some loving service to bring a blossom
to his grave, he would sleep to-night beneath a wilderness of flowers."

3o!)n Jlenrp ^ffilooti

IGHTY-THREE YEARS of life, the larger portion of which
was spent in almost continuous service of his fellows, espe-
cially those of his own community, is the record of John
Henry Wood, of Thomaston, Connecticut, whose death
there on August 30, 191 1, brought to a close the career of
one who, notwithstanding his great age, was still a most
active and valuable member of society, who still performed
the functions which had made him one of the principal figures in that region.
Born June 30, 1828, in Plymouth, Connecticut, many years before the
section now known as Thomaston had been made a separate community by
the Legislature, he passed his entire life in the neighborhood, content to
discover his Eldorado in his own home instead of seeking farther and faring
worse as has been the fate of so many. His childhood was passed in the
usual occupations of that age, his education, which was limited, he beginning
work at the tender age of eight years, being obtained in the excellent local
public schools. At the age of twenty years he embarked upon his business
career, entering at once into an association that continued for the better
part of half a century, or from 1848 until 1892. This began with a humble
position in the employ of the Seth Thomas Clock Company, and with this
concern he remained, excepting only about nine months of absence, for that
long period, gradually working his way up to a place of trust and respon-
sibility. It was about 1862 that he was given the position of superintendent
of the movement factory, and continued to serve in this capacity during the
remainder of his association with the company. This was not the only con-
nection with the business world of Plymouth and Thomaston that Mr.
Wood had, however. He was one of the original incorporators of the
Thomaston Savings Bank, and to no one more than him is the present suc-
cess and high standing of the institution due. For several years he was its
president and during that term he devoted himself with most entire disinter-
estedness to its interests, conducting its affairs with the most masterly skill
and foresight and placing them upon a perfectly secure foundation. An-
other enterprise in which he was deeply interested was the Thomaston Knife
Company, in the organization of which he was also one of the prime movers,
and its president for many years. To this concern, also, he gave his energies
with the greatest devotion and developed a large and lucrative business.

In another realm besides that of business Mr. Wood has signally dis-
tinguished himself in his native town. Always interested in politics, since
he was able to understand the questions involved, upon reaching manhood,
he allied himself with the local organization of the Republican party, and
took an active part in public affairs. He served a number of times as a grand
juror, and was elected to the School Committee for the town for a consider-
able period. His services in every office he undertook to fill were of so
superior and efficient a kind that he gained a very high place in the regard of
his party and, indeed, of the whole community. He was finally made the

376 3iof)n ^enrp moon

nominee of his party for the State Legislature, and was duly elected, serving
during the legislative session of 1887 as the representative from Thomaston.
It is an excellent illustration of his great personal popularity that in spite of
the presence of three candidates in the field against him, Mr. Wood obtained
a clear majority of the votes over them all. Mr. Wood was strongly religious
in his beliefs and feelings. He affiliated with the Thomaston Methodist
Episcopal Church, of which his wife is a member. He was very generously
disposed towards it and had its interest strongly at heart, so that he gave a
great deal of time, effort and money to the advancement of its cause.

Mr. Wood was united in marriage, October 21, 1849, with Mary
Ostrom, of Torrington, Connecticut, a daughter of Henry I. and Sarah
(Piatt) Ostrom, of that place. Mr. Wood is survived by his wife who is now
a resident of Thomaston, and a grandson, the Rev. F. H. Sawyer, of Stepney,
Connecticut. His son, Henry O. Wood, born November 21, 1852, died at
Waterbury, April 18, 1913. He was connected with the Waterbury Brass
Company; he was elected city comptroller and served two terms; at one
time he was a member of the Board of Education ; member of the Free and
Accepted Masons, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and member of the Methodist church, of Waterbury.
Mr. Wood, Sr., was but twenty-one years of age at the time of his marriage,
so that he and his wife had nearly completed sixty-two years of married life,
during which period there existed a most edifying degree of harmony and
affection in all the household relations, so that the home life was an ideal one.

Although Mr. Wood was above eighty-three years of age when his life
finally came to an end, he was very much missed in the community and his
death felt as a very real loss. His strength and the clearness of all his facul-
ties were such as to admit of his participating but little less than ever in the
life about him up to about three or four years prior to his death, but during
the last year of his life his mind was not as clear as usual. His venerable
figure was well known to everyone, for to no one did he deny his ready smile
and warm greeting. His heart was a large one with room for a general
goodwill for all, a goodwill which one felt at once from his straightforward
manner to be genuine and spontaneous. His character was based, as all
truly worthy characters must be based, on an essential honesty very typical
of the best of his fellow New Englanders. Whatever the present age, a little
more lax in its beliefs, may think of the stricter and more scrupulous ideals
of the past generation, no one will be found foolish enough to deny that they
were responsible for a splendid set of men, in whom capability and worldly
wisdom were harmoniously combined with the utmost degree of probity,
the set of which John Henry Wood was in every sense representative.

^^^^__^^^

IJsaac (^leason alien

^O ONE WHO had been studying the general history of New
England and whose mind had become thoroughly imbued
with the profoundly democratic bias of popular sentiment
there and the strong distrust of anything like a privileged
class, it might come as a considerable surprise, upon turning
to those more particular records of town or county, to dis-
cover the presence of what would appear to him as certain
families who from generation to generation maintained a position of promi-
nence and influence in their respective communities. It would not be until he
had examined still further that he would make the discovery that such
dominance on the part of particular houses did not depend upon any aristo-
cratic institution at all, however much it might give that appearance, but
simply upon the inherited qualities of leadership which continued to show
itself in the members of such families from the earliest times to the latest
and in the midst of such different environments as those of the ancient
pioneer and the member of our modern industrial society. The local his-
tories of New England are, indeed, crowded with such family names, the
bearers of which to-day can look back from their own positions of promi-
nence over a long line of worthy ancestors, the beginnings of which were
synchronous with the first wave of colonization. Such a family is that which
bears the name of Allen and which in the past generation was represented
by the distinguished gentleman whose name heads this brief record. The
coat-of-arms of the Allen family is as follows : Paly of ten argent and azure,
over all a cross potent, or. Crest — A lion salient sable and a tower or and
argent. Motto — Fortiter gcrit cruceni.

A number of the most important Allen families in the United .States,
including that of Hartford, with which this sketch is more particularly con-
cerned, trace their descent back to three brothers of the name, Mathew,
Samuel and Thomas, who about 1630 came from Braintree in the county of
Essex, England, and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is claimed
with every circumstance of probability that Ethan Allen, colonel of the
"Green Mountain Boys" of Vermont in the American Revolution, who was
a native of Litchfield, Connecticut, was descended from one of these
brothers. The brothers did not remain in Cambridge a great while, but
joined the party under the leadership of the redoubtable Dr. Hooker and
participated with that worthy divine in the honor of founding Hartford,
Connecticut, in which city and the surrounding towns many of their de-
scendants reside to this day.

The second of the Allen brothers, Samuel, who was born in Braintree,
England, moved from Hartford to Windsor when the latter place was but
newly settled and there took up his abode permanently. His descendants,
however, did not remain there but dwelt in a number of different localities
both in Connecticut and Massachusetts during the unquiet times preceding
the Revolution. They were involved in many of the desperate struggles

378 3saac <5leason alien

with the Indians and played their part in the hard and perilous task of
clearing the wilderness and developing- the country.

John Allen, the third child of Samuel Allen, the founder, moved to
Northampton, Massachusetts, and was killed by the Indians in the battle
of Bloody Brook in Deerfield, September i8, 1675. He was an ancestor of
the Isaac Gleason Allen of this sketch. Joseph Allen, a grandson of the
above mentioned John Allen, married Mary Hulit, born July 12, 1703, in
Concord, Massachusetts, died in East Windsor, Connecticut, aged seventy-
eight years. She bore him eight children. Mary Hulit was the daughter of
John and Hannah (Whittaker) Hulit, of Hobarth, Massachusetts, a border
town of Rhode Island; they were married August 13, 1702, by Rev. Mr.
Joseph Estabrook. Mr. Hulit removed from Hobarth to Enfield, where he
"lived a few years, then returned to Hobarth. Jonathan Whittaker, father of
Hannah Whittaker, was a son of John Whittaker, of Watertown, Massa-
chusetts, and was in Concord before 1690.

Isaac Gleason Allen was the son of Hezekiah and Azubah (Gleason)
Allen, of East Windsor, Connecticut, where he was himself born, January 6,
1807. East Windsor was the home of a great number of his relatives, and
here as a child he attended the local schools, which were somewhat primitive
in those days, and there obtained his education. Then, as now, however, the
degree of education depended more on the pupil than the school, and young
Allen by the time he had completed his studies was well read and possessed
of a large fund of knowledge which he turned to practical use in after life.
In the year 1834 he left East Windsor and the parental roof forever, and
removed to Hartford, where he established himself in a mercantile line of
business. He was successful in this enterprise from the outset and became
one of the leading business men of the city in the old days when the river
trade was the most important feature of the Hartford business world. The
streets bounding the river were in those times the center of commercial
activity in the city, and it was in this region that Mr. Allen had his establish-
ment, and won his very considerable fortune. He developed a very large
and important trade and came to be regarded as one of the most influential
men in the city and an important factor in the business interests of the
region, besides winning the highest kind of a reputation for himself for his
honorable and just way of conducting his affairs and living up to the spirit
of his contracts.

Mr. Allen married, October 20, 183 1, Sabra Thompson, a daughter of
John McKnight and Sabra (Allen) Thompson, of East Windsor. John Mc-
Knight Thompson was one of the most prominent citizens of East Windsor
and closely identified with the development of the town. His wife was a daugh-
ter of Samuel Allen and a granddaughter of Joseph and Mary (Hulit) Allen,
already mentioned, so that Mrs. Isaac Gleason Allen was a distant cousin
of her husband. To Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Gleason Allen were born two chil-
dren, Emily Gleason, died in infancy, and Emma Gleason. Mr. Allen's
death occurred August 23, 1886, his wife surviving him for two years or
until September 11, 188S. Mr. Allen purchased during his residence in
Hartford a handsome dwelling on Webster street and here he and Mrs.
Allen lived until their deaths. It is now occupied by Emma Gleason Allen.

3saac (a5Iea0on alien 379

With the death of Mr. Allen, Hartford suffered the loss of one of the
splendid old merchants of the past generation, a type which has done so
much to dignify and broaden business ideals in this country. Perhaps it was
the enlightened, broad-minded outlook of these men, their sterling character,
their cosmopolitan culture, that has, as much as anything, been responsible
for the destruction of the foolish prejudice against business and mercantile
pursuits, which for a time persevered even in this democratic country, the
residuum of an outworn age and dispensation. But before the example of
men so wholly admirable as these, prejudices of this kind had inevitably to
give way until to-day the opposite extreme has been reached, and no criter-
ion of a man's ability is so universally considered conclusive as success in
the business world. Certainly the success of such men as Mr. Allen was of
a kind to command general and well deserved commendation, combining as
it did his own interests with the welfare of the whole community. Nor was
his distinction wholly based on his success in business. In all the relations
of life he maintained a high standard of conduct, and his record may well be
held up as an example of pure and disinterested citizenship.

Charles Samuel iSfesell

'HERE IS SOMETHING extremely gratifying in noting, as
we are so frequently able to do in the genealogical annals of
New England, the perseverance, from generation to gener-
ation within a family, of certain staunch virtues and qualities
of character, the possession of which entitles its members to
a high place in the regard of the community. It seems,
indeed, that in the case of some families such qualities are so
firmly bred in the bone that even the most adverse conditions are insufficient
to remove them, although on the whole it is surely true that the conditions
of life prevailing in New England throughout its history have been cal-
culated rather to inculcate and foster such characters than to discourage
them. However this may be, one would certainly have to look far for a
better example of inherited virtues and ability than that to be found in the
old and honorable Connecticut family of Bissell.

The founder of this worthy house, so typical of the qualities that have
given New England its preeminent place in the industrial world, was John
Bissell, born in Somersetshire, England, in 1591, who came to Plymouth,
Massachusetts, in 1632, and before 1640 had removed to Windsor, Hartford
county, Connecticut. From that time down to the present his descendants
have made Hartford county their home so that the family may now be said
to form an essential part of the life and traditions of the region. From the
original John Bissell were descended in the direct line and in the following
order, John, Jr., Jeremiah, Samuel, Isaac, Dr. Asaph L. and Charles Samuel
Bissell, whose life forms the subject of this sketch. All have been men of
high repute and prominence in the home they have so long called their own,
all have been successful and taken an active and public-spirited part in the
affairs of the county. For a number of generations they continued to live
in Windsor, but in the life of Isaac, during Revolutionary times, removed to
the beautiful neighborhood of Suffield, the development of which into a town
of industrial importance has depended so greatly upon the activities of the
later generations of Bissells.

Dr. Asaph L. Bissell, father of Charles Samuel Bissell, was born in
Suffield, in 1791, and became the leading physician of that neighborhood,
winning considerable fame for his successful work and for other abilities
which aided in the accumulation of a very substantial fortune. Dr. Bissell's
business foresight was excellent and he invested his money so as to reap a
continual increase, and at the same time to assist the just budding industries
of the neighborhood. To him and his wife, who had been before her mar-
riage a Miss Lucy Norton, were born eight children, of whom Charles
Samuel was the eldest. The others were as follows: William N., born in
1823; Francis L., born in 1825; Mary, died in childhood; Mary A., born
September 28, 1828, and became Mrs. Horace E. Mather; Emily L., born
in 1831 and became Mrs. N. Sherman Bouton, of Chicago; Harvey L., born in
1834, Eugene, born November i, 1839. When Dr. Bissell first began to

(jLbaxles Samuel 'Bissell 381

practice his profession in Suffield conditions were far otherwise from what
they are to-day and a doctor's life, arduous enough at best, was then full of
hardship. Automobiles and even good roads were things of the future and
the doctor was often called upon to travel many miles on horseback on cold
and wet nights. He never failed in his duties to his patients, however, and
established a well and hard-earned reputation of devotion to his work and a
conscientious regard for the interests of others. He was a graduate of the
Yale Medical School and the old sheepskin diploma won there is still a
valued family possession as are also his saddle bags and the desk and medi-
cine cabinet in which he kept his old fashioned but effective remedies, con-
sisting largely of roots and herbs of various sorts. He was well entitled to
have that old-fashioned New England term, a "gentleman and a scholar"
applied to him. The old house which is still the family mansion was built by
him about 1845, some five years before his death, which occurred August 2,
1850. He was survived a few years by his widow.

Charles Samuel Bissell, the eldest child of Dr. Asaph L. and Lucy
(Norton) Bissell, was born April 5, 1821, in Sufifield, and there passed his
entire life. He early displayed those talents that were to distinguish him in
later life, and received an excellent education as a preparation for his life's
work, attending, first, the local public schools and later that venerable and
famous institution of learning known as the Connecticut Literary Institute.
Mr. Bissell was a born financier and man of affairs. He seemed intuitively
to judge correctly of the worth of investments and the probabilities of
advance or recession of values. He was for many years one of the leading
business men of Hartford county, his advice being received with the greatest
consideration and respect by his colleagues in the various enterprises under-
taken by him. He was for a considerable period a director in the old Con-
tinental Insurance Company, but the largest and most important venture in
which he was concerned, as well as one of the most successful, was the
Travelers Insurance Company of Hartford of which he was one of the
principal founders, remaining a heavy holder of its stock until his death.
He amassed as a result of these enterprises a large fortune which he spent
with great liberality in many movements for the advancement of his native
community. There were but few departments of the town's life in which he
did not take part and was a well-known figure throughout the neighborhood.
He was a staunch member of the Republican party and did a great deal of
valuable work looking to the advancement of the principles and policies for
which it stood, but in spite of this he was totally without personal ambition
for political preferment and consistently refused the oft'ers of his confreres
to accept office. In religion he was affiliated with the Congregational church,
and was one of those in whom his beliefs played a real part in his life and
were translated into terms of conduct.

Charles Samuel Bissell married, June 23 1863, Maria E. Pomeroy, of
Suffield, her wedding day being the twenty-eighth anniversary of her birth.
She was the daughter of Chauncey and Maria (Granger) Pomeroy, old and
honored residents of that part of the State. Mr. Pomeroy was a gentleman
of the old school, a large-hearted, public-spirited man who always kept the
good of the community at heart and was beloved by all who knew him. He

382 C&atlcs Samuel ISissell

held during his life many public offices, being selectman and town treasurer
of Suffield, besides serving the town in other capacities. He kept a large
safe at his home wherein were stored the town valuables which were en-
trusted to him for safe-keeping. His home, situated near the site of the
present Baptist church, was for many years a landmark in the town, and
indeed no history of the place would be complete without mention of his
name. He was the father of five children, as follows: Maria E., later Mrs.
Bissell; Chauncey, Jr., deceased; Cornelia, who became the wife of Dr. M.
T. Newton, now deceased; Willis and Arthur, both deceased.

Maria E. (Pomeroy) Bissell was born June 23, 1835, though one would
suppose it to have occurred at least ten years later, and passed her girlhood
in the same manner that all young ladies of that day and place did. Being of
a well-to-do family she received an excellent education, completing it in the
Holyoke Seminary. Her marriage to Mr. Bissell occurred, as has already
been stated on the twenty-eighth anniversary of her birth, and from that
time she has made her home in the old Bissell homestead. To Mr. and Mrs.
Bissell were born two sons, Leavitt Pomeroy and Charles Chauncey, of both
of whom sketches appear elsewhere in this work. Six years after the death
of Mr. Bissell, Mrs. Bissell was married to Charles G. Pomeroy, a very dis-
tant relative, who had been very prominently connected with the city of
Wallingford, Connecticut. They continued to reside at the old Bissell
mansion, Mr. Pomeroy dying here in 1904, Mrs. Pomeroy still making it her
home.

Charles Samuel Bissell's death occurred February 2, 1887, in the sixty-
sixth year of his age, after a lifelong residence in the town of his birth. He
was a man of many sterling virtues and a very attractive personality, which
made him very popular and won him hosts of friends. Essentially a domestic
man, he loved greatly the associations and intercourse of home and family,
and never forgot to provide for the happiness and comfort of every member
of the household. And if he was a devoted husband and father, he was not
less a faithful friend, and possessed in an unusual degree the power to
inspire devotion on the part of others for himself. Quiet and unassuming in
manner, easy of approach to all, both high and low, he was nevertheless
capable of the most determined adherence to his own views and opinions and
the most persevering and energetic efiforts in the overcoming of all obstacles
that interfered with his proposed ends. At once positive and open to reason,
dominant and tolerant in a breath, he was one who could not fail to leave
his mark on any community of which he was a member, or to be profoundly
missed when fate called him to what he earnestly believed was but a larger
sphere of activity and a higher duty.

CJ^arles Cljauncep MmtU

T IS NOT only the Old World, with its systems of caste, its
classes and well protected aristocracies, that presents to us
the sight of families who for generations have maintained
with unwavering stability the high place gained by some
talented ancestor in public esteem, for even democratic
America can show us the same, and many are the great
houses presenting, as it were, a kind of aristocracy of brains
and ability, whose members never seem to fall below a high standard of
intelligence and character, and who continue to establish and reestablish
their high standing and prominence in the community. It is. of course, so
much more to their credit that they should do so in a country like the United
States, the republican institutions remove all those artificial assistances,
which in other lands are so often for the success of the scions of the great
irrespective of any notable virtues or abilities on their part. It is particu-
larly noteworthy that of all parts of the country. New England, that hotbed
of equality, the birthplace of American freedom, should be the one that
displays the largest number of such families.

One of the best examples of these old families is that which bears the
name of Bissell, the members of which, for eight generations, have been
closely and prominently identified with the affairs of Hartford county,
Connecticut, and for the last three have made their home in that most
charming of Connecticut towns, Sufiield. It is with a meinber of this dis-
tinguished house that this article is concerned, one who is a lineal descend-
ant in the eighth generation from the immigrant ancestor, John Bissell who,
born in Somersetshire, England, in 1591, landed in Plymouth, Massachu-
setts, as early as 1632.

Charles Chauncey Bissell was born August 18, 1867, in the town of
Suffield. Hartford county, Connecticut. He was the younger of the two
sons of Charles Samuel and Maria E. (Pomeroy) Bissell, lifelong residents
of Suffield, his father being one of the best known business men and most
influential financiers in that region during his time. The son, Charles
Chauncey Bissell, was reared in the town of his birth, and there obtained
his education in the well-known institution of learning, the Connecticut
Literary Institute, and with which he maintained the most cordial rela-
tions all through life, and was untiring in his efl^orts in upbuilding the school
which had been allowed to run down. In the 1914 Year Book of the Con-
necticut Literary Institute, the book was dedicated to Mr. Bissell with
appropriate remarks concerning his efforts in upbuilding the school and re-
ferring to his well known love and help for all boys in general. During the
time of his schooling he had spent his leisure time on his father's farm, and
there gained that health of mind and body which seems peculiarly the heri-
tage of a youth spent amid rural surroundings and engaged in the simple
pursuits of agriculture. He acquired also an abiding taste for these pur-
suits which lasted him throughout his life and caused him always, despite

384 Cijarles Cbauncep 15isstU

his many important commercial interests, never wholly to abandon the farm
life. Upon completing his studies, however, he made his way to the city of
Hartford, the nearest large place, and there took a clerical position in the
employ of the Travelers' Insurance Company of that city. He remained in
this service until the year 1891, gaining in the meantime a thorough mastery
of business methods and detail in the several positions to which he was
promoted and fitting himself admirably for the place he was next to fill.
This came in the year already mentioned with an offer from the Sufiield
National Bank for him to become the assistant cashier of the institution. Mr.
Bissell at once accepted and returned promptly to his native town to enter
upon his new duties. He remained in the service of the bank until 1898 and
then left to enter into a partnership with his brother in the well known firm
of L. P. Bissell & Brother, dealers in leaf tobacco. The business of this
company was very large and the two brothers added very materially to their
fortunes thereby, being known as among the wealthiest merchants of the
district. The great business ability, so obvious in the management of the
tobacco business, led many concerns and financial institutions in the neigh-
borhood to desire his services in their direction, and he became connected
with a number of them, one of the most important offices of this kind which
he held being the presidency of the Suffield Savings Bank. As has already
been mentioned Mr. Bissell never entirely gave up the farming life he had
become so strongly attached to as a boy and growing youth, retaining
always a valuable piece of farm property in the neighborhood of Suffield
village which he most carefully cultivated. After his interest in tobacco
began he turned his attention to the production of that paying crop and from
that time on raised every year upwards of thirty acres of it, as well as other
crops.

But it was not in connection with his success in business or agriculture
that Mr. Bissell was best known in Hartford county. Rather was it in the
realm of politics in which he gained for himself the largest and most enviable
reputation as a capable and disinterested leader and public official. He was
a strong supporter of the principles of the Republican party, though bv no
means partisan in his beliefs or actions. He was nominated by the Republi-
can organization of his town, and later duly elected to represent Suffield in
the State Legislature in the term of 1901. His services in that body and as
chairman of its Committee on Incorporations was of so distinguished a
nature that he was elected the following year a member of the Connecticut
Constitutional Convention. Here also he distinguished himself, taking a
prominent part in the discussions and displaying great knowledge of con-
ditions and requirements of the people of the State. It was an amendment
offered by him that was eventually adopted in the question of representation
which was for a long time the subject of a hot controversy. In the year 1912,
the political situation in Connecticut was peculiarly confused, the number of
candidates proposed, both by the regular parties and by independent fac-
tions, being quite unexampled. In Mr. Bissell's own party ranks there was
a great deal of contention as to the best man to represent the district in the
United States Congress and many men of prominence were mentioned. Mr.
Bissell's name was one of the last, but as soon as it was mentioned the drift

Cftarleg Cl)aunccp TBisgell 385

of popular sentiment was unmistakably towards him and he soon led all the
other candidates. In the convention his victory over all competitors was at
once assured for he won on the first ballot with sixty-three votes out of a
possible ninety, his election being subsequently made unanimous. The
papers throughout the entire region were full of his nomination, comment-
ing upon it from every standpoint, but even those most bitterly opposed to
him were at one with all the others in their estimate of him as a man of the
strictest integrity and unsullied character. The whole campaign, indeed,
was conducted on clean, gentlemanly lines, both Mr. Bissell and his oppo-
nent, Mr. Lonergan, keeping strictly to questions of principle and policy and
mutually conceding the honesty of purpose to the other that each claimed
for himself. Mr. Bissell showed clearly from the start just what his politics
were, his own utterances on the question of the tariff, then the principal issue
between the parties, being the best possible expression of these beliefs. In
this connection he said during one of his campaign speeches

"You all know what the Democratic party's platform of tariff for
revenue only would mean to the vast army of skilled and unskilled workmen
in our factories and on our farms; upon those men and women would the
burden fall heaviest." And again, "I stand for the protective tariff measured
by the difiference in cost of production here and abroad."

The political situation in igi2 was complicated, as we all recall, by the
entrance into the campaign of the third party headed by Colonel Roose-
velt, which nominated candidates in all the Congressional Districts and
completely disarranged the conditions everywhere, upsetting all political
precedents. It was asked and answered in a thousand different ways during
the campaign whether the Progressive candidates would draw their prin-
cipal strength from the ranks of the Republicans or Democrats. The event
proved that it was the former, the Democratic candidate winning in a
district normally Republican by the narrow majority of five hundred and ten
votes. Though defeated at the polls Mr. Bissell continued his disinterested
work for the principles in which he believed and his candidacy for the next
Congressional term was assured had not death suddenly and untimely cut
short the career which seemed but just entering upon the brilliant fulfill-
ment of the promises held out by a future which never materialized.

Besides his political and business affairs, Mr. Bissell took an active
interest in many departments of the community's life. He was prominent in
the best social circles of that region and of other places, and was a member
of prominent organizations there. Among these may be mentioned the
Apollo Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Washington Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons; Washington Commandery, Knights Templar; and Sphinx
Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, all of the Masonic order. Besides
these he also belonged to Gideon Granger Lodge, Knights of Pythias. He
was affiliated with the Second Baptist Church of Suffield, and devoted his
unusual musical talents to its service, acting for many years as organist
and accepting no salary for the work.

Mr. Bissell married, September 4, 1889, Clara J. Spencer, a daughter of
I. Luther and Julia (Pease) Spencer, of Suftield, and shortly afterwards
bought the Cline place, considered one of the finest properties of a residential

CONN-Vol IU-2S

386 Cftacleg Cftaunccp IBisstll

nature in the neighborhood. Here Mrs. Bissell, who survived her husband's
death on February 3, 1914, now resides with the one son born to them. This
son, Charles Bissell, is now a young man in his senior year at Yale Univer-
sity.

Perhaps the most fitting way to close this brief notice of a remarkable
man is by quoting from the innumerable tributes in the shape of newspaper
articles and other memorial sketches appearing at the time of his death. The
press of practically all the important cities of the State published brief
accounts of his life together with eulogies of his character and appreciations
of his work. The article in "The Homestead" of February 4, 1914, read in
as follows:

Charles Chauncey Bissell, aged forty-five years, president of the Suffield Savings
Bank and one of the most prominent residents of Suffield, died in his home in that town
yesterday morning at five o'clock. * * * ^j- Bissell was probably one of the best-
known citizens of Connecticut. For a number of years he represented the town of
Sufifield in the General Assembly, and in 1902 he represented the same town in the
Constitutional Convention. He had been prominent in Suffield business and fraternal
circles for a number of years and was equally well known in State banking circles. He
was a wholesome, generous-hearted man and stood high in the esteem of his fellow
townsmen.

The "Rockville Leader" said:

The death of Hon. Charles C. Bissell on the sunny side of fifty, removes one of
Suffield's first citizens and a gentleman widely known throughout the State as a practical
man of affairs of solid and substantial qualities. He was a man of true worth and promi-
nent in public life, being the Republican Congressional candidate from the First Dis-
trict in the 1912 election. While quiet and unassuming, Mr. Bissell was a man of many
delightful personal traits, companionable, a good fellow, whose friendship was well
worth possessing. He will be missed by a wide circle of friends in various parts of the
State.

In its issue of February 7, 1914, "The Times" speaking of his political
career, said :

If Charles C. Bissell, of Sufiield, had lived he would be the candidate of the Repub-
licans of the First Congressional District this year for Congress. Two years ago he was
their candidate and his defeat was attributable to the defection of Republicans who voted
the Progressive ticket more than to anything else. His election this year was looked on
as a certainty by many people. The only thing that would have stood in the way of his
unanimous nomination at the Republican convention would be his own unwillingness
to run again for Congress. He had frequently been asked since his defeat in the fall of
1912, if he would be a candidate this year, and his replies left it uncertain whether he
continued to cherish the ambition of taking a position among the law-makers of the
Nation. The popularity of Mr. Bissell was wide and there is no doubt he would have
made a very strong candidate this year ; his friends think an invincible one.

One of the documents in existence which throws the strongest light on
the generous, manly nature of Mr. Bissell is the letter written by himself
after his defeat in the 1912 campaign to his successful opponent. It reads
as follows.

My dear Mr. Lonergan : Please accept my hearty congratulations upon your elec-
tion to represent the First Congressional District in Washington. I am sure you will
represent the district not only with credit to the various interests represented in this
district, but with credit to yourself. I want to express to you once more my apprecia-
tion of the clean and gentlemanly contest you put up. With kindest regards and best
wishes for your success, I am, Yours very sincerely ,

(Signed) Charles C. Bissell.

aifrrt Jennings Cstloto

LFRED JENNINGS ESTLOW, in whose death on December
i6, 191 1, the city of Hartford, Connecticut, lost one of its
most prominent and highly-respected citizens, although a
native of that State, was not a member of a New England
family on his father's side of the house. The father was
Martin Estlow, of the well known New Jersey family of that
name, who on coming to reside in Connecticut married a
Connecticut woman, Sarah Shipman Swathel, and settled in the town of
Deep River. The elder Mr. Estlow served in the Civil War with the
Twenty-second Connecticut Regiment, and died about i8g6 in Hartford,
his wife surviving him for several years.

Alfred Jennings Estlow was born at Deep River, Connecticut, Feb-
ruary 20, 1854, but passed only the first few years of his life there. While
yet a small child, his parents removed to Hartford, with their family, and
there he grew to manhood. As a boy he attended the excellent public
schools of the city, and gained there a fine, general education. He was
naturally a very bright lad, and completing his schooling early, sought at
once for employment. He had not far to seek, being given a position on the
force of the old Clinton House, which stood at the corner of Central row and
Prospect street, by Alexander Bacon, the proprietor and manager. Here he
remained a number of years and learned the hotel business thoroughly in
all its details. After this valuable apprenticeship, Mr. Estlow was offered
the position of clerk with the United States Hotel, and there remained for
many years. Eventually, when through long experience, he had become one
of the most competent hotel men in the city, he was ofifered the post of
manager of the Hotel Heublein. the best known and most fashionable hotel
in Hartford, an offer which he accepted, filling that most responsible ofiice
with the greatest efficiency for a number of years. During that time, how-
ever, in spite of his taste for the hotel business, Mr. Estlow came to desire
more and more strongly to embark upon a business enterprise of his own.
This desire was finally gratified about 1901, when in connection with a
number of associates, and especially his brother-in-law, Harry R. Knox, he
established the Sanitary Laundry Company with office and laundry building
at the corner of Gold and Lewis streets. In course of time the Center Street
Church chose this site for its proposed new building for a parish house, and
it became necessary for the laundry to move its quarters. This it did to a
new structure on Church street, where the most modern equipment ,was
installed and a thoroughly up-to-date establishment conducted. From the
outset the business of the concern prospered. The policy of Mr. Estlow,
who was president of the company, was at once conservative and progres-
sive, and he soon built up a very large business.

Mr. Estlow was affiliated with the Congregational church, and was a
hard worker in its cause and especially for that of the South Congregational
Church of Hartford, of which he had been a member for many years. He

388 aifreD 3iennings (ggtioto

was particularly identified with the charitable work of the congregation,
of whom there was no member who gave more generously in behalf of the
poor and needy members of the community of whatever faith. He was a
member of the Society of the Sons of Veterans, in virtue of his father's
service with the Twenty-second Regiment, but was not otherwise affiliated
with clubs, being of an extremely retiring and home-loving disposition,
except as member of the Hartford Business Men"s Club.

Mr. Estlow married, September 14. 1881, Belle Knox, a native of Hart-
ford, and a daughter of Robert and Elizabeth ( Balmer) Knox, old and
highly-respected residents of that city. Two daughters were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Estlow, both of whom died in infancy.

Mr. Knox was born in Hartford, April 13, 1831, and was a lifelong
resident of the place, and a member of an old Hartford family which was
identified with Hartford for many years. His parents were Daniel and
Isabella (Gardner) Knox, whose abode had been in the old Knox homestead
on Lafayette street, where also their son Robert was born. In the early
days this old house had stood in the center of a noble estate, which has since
been divided up into city lots, and is now entirely built up, a process which
Mr. Knox was a witness of, as he grew from youth into manhood and old
age. This estate formed the tract now bounded by Lafayette Park, Russ
and Hungerford streets, the latter being known in those days as Knox
Court. He moved from the old homestead into a house at No. 25 Russ
street, about 1872, having built this house about this time, and there con-
tinued to make his home for the remainder of his life. He was engaged
in a number of business ventures, the first being a grocery store on Albany
avenue, and after conducting this successfully for some time, he went into
contracting in the making of sewing machines and was employed by a
number of concerns in the locality to work on their machines. About 1894
Mr. Knox found it possible to retire altogether from active business, and
from that time to his death led a life scarcely less busy than before, but
devoted to more general activities. He was of a most winning personality,
fond of social intercourse and athletics generally, but particularly of base-
ball, in which he took the keenest interest, faithfully attending the games,
and doing much toward the encouragement of the game in the city. Mr.
Knox's death occurred October 19, 1912, and he is survived by his wife and
two of their three children: Belle, now Mrs. Estlow, and John B. Knox,
secretary of the Phoenix Fire Insurance Company of Hartford. The eldest
child, now deceased, was Harry R. Knox, for many years treasurer of the
Hartford Club, and the partner of Mr. Estlow in the Sanitary Laundry
Company.

The house at No. 25 Russ street was always a delightful home, the Knox
family being remarkably harmonious in the relations of its members, nor did
the coming of Mr. Estlow to live with Mr. Knox introduce the least friction.
A man of the keenest sense of justice and the most sensitive temperament, he
simply added another member to the already united household, winning and
holding the love of all. Both he and Mrs. Estlow lived with Mr. and Mrs.
Knox after their marriage until the time of his death, and she still resides
there. To the fundamental virtues of honesty and simplicity, Mr. Estlow

aifreD 31ennin00 dBstloto 389

added the graces of culture and refinement, so that among all his associates,
whether in the way of business or the more personal relations of life, he was
both loved and admired, and a complete confidence was felt in him that he
would fulfill both spirit and letter of whatever he engaged to do. He was
possessed of the most charitable nature, and could not bear to witness need
without an attempt to alleviate its circumstances. Although his support
of charitable movements of a public and semi-public nature was most gener-
ous, his private philanthropy was even larger, and he gave away with a
prodigal hand a really large proportion of his income. Probably no one,
certainly no one outside of his immediate family, knew the extent of these
benefactions, for he gave with that Christian humility which is recom-
mended to us, and his one response to those who cautioned him against such
liberality was to express regret that he had not more to give. He died a
comparatively young man, yet he had won a degree of respect and affection
from the community at large which would gratify any man, and was espe-
cially welcome as the reward of real merit. His death was a loss not merely
to his immediate family and the large circle of devoted friends which his
good qualities had won for him, but to his fellow citizens generally, none of
whom had not benefited in some way by his life and example.

3o0epf) ^elben

T IS NOT often that we find a character so simple and definite
in outline that we can refer it unreservedly to this or that
type; it is not often, even in America, that we meet with a
personality that we can say with regard to that it conforms
at all points to the highest standard of American manhood,
for, by a strange paradox, the type is always more simple
than the complex individuals of which it is the compound.
With the actual man that we meet with in real life, no matter how carefully
we proceed to classify him, there is always a residue of traits and qualities
left to show our classification as imperfect and to illustrate to us once again
that, as one of the greatest of modern philosophers has said, "Nature is
always more complex than our interpretation of her." In the case of such
a man as Deacon Joseph Selden, the distinguished gentleman whose name
heads this brief sketch, this residue is reduced to a minimum, however, and
we can say with as much accuracy as it is ever possible to, that he was the
very type of New England manhood as we love to think of it, displaying,
together with a thoroughly practical grasp of the world's afifairs, that central
core of profound religious belief and feeling without which life is but of
slender significance and its endeavor barren of fruit.

The career of Joseph Selden was in its outward appearance very similar
to that of many of his fellows who have won worldly success. He was the
son of Hezekiah and Eunice Selden, of West Hartford, Connecticut, where
his father operated a successful farm, and it was in that place that he was
himself born October 17, 1824. It was in the midst of the wholesome but
difficult surroundings of the farmer's life that he grew to manhood, gaining
his education in an academy at West Haven and an academy in Westfield,
Massachusetts, and spending such time as he had free from that occupation
in aiding his father with the farm work or in the healthy pastimes of country
boys. He was full of ambition, however, and upon reaching young manhood
he decided to enter a mercantile or industrial line of business, and accord-
ingly he went to the town of Rockville and there found employment in a
woolen mill. He began at the very lowest step of the ladder as a dyer, but
his quickness and natural aptitude in all kinds of work and his industry and
strong character were not long in making an impression upon his employers
and his promotion became rapid. He remained connected with this com-
pany for a number of years and eventually established himself in the same
business. He was a man of much enterprise and himself became the owner
of a large woolen mill and later of a thread mill which he founded in Rock-
ville. These various ventures all proved most prosperous and he became one
of the leading men of the town and a factor of importance in the industrial
world in that region. About this time, when his fortunes seemed at their
highest, he suffered a reverse that, although it was a very serious and painful
matter for him at the time, served better than almost anything else to illus-
trate the wonderful courage and persistency of the man. The four years

Slosepi) ^cIDen 391

between 1855 and 1859 were a time of tension and difficulty in the business
world of New Eng^land, the depression, indeed, extending throughout the
whole country and causing widespread suffering. Mr. Selden did not escape
the evil conditions, but was, as a matter of fact, a particular sufferer, losing
practically his whole property. Many men would have sunk under such a
blow coming thus at the very time of prosperity, but the indomitable will
and steady faith of Mr. Selden came to his rescue and with the most amazing
cheerfulness he began life over again. He went for a short time to New
Britain, but shortly afterwards received an offer from Nathaniel B. Stevens,
the owner of a large business in Norfolk, Connecticut, known as the Norfolk
Axle Works, and who was acquainted with Mr. Selden's ability, to come to
that town and take the management of the establishment. This he readily
assented to and remained in that position until he was able to organize a
silk manufacturing concern himself in connection with a group of partners.
These men made use of one of the buildings of the Norfolk Axle concern for
a time, and then purchased what is known as the upper silk mill, originally
erected as a shoe manufacturing plant, for their purposes. The concern
prospered remarkably and in course of time Mr. Selden became very nearly
the sole proprietor, continuing the same until the time of his death. In
addition to this business Mr. Selden was interested in a great number of
concerns in the various places where he resided, especially in Norfolk where
he was instrumental in securing the charter for the Norfolk Sewer District
and acted as the superintendent of that system during the remainder of his
life. The Center Cemetery Association was another institution in which
he was greatly interested. The interest of Mr. Selden was not by any means
confined to the business he had established, however, and he took an active
part in the general life of the community in all its aspects. While still
residing in Rockville he was prominent in military circles and was a member
of the volunteer militia of the State. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-
colonel and was known throughout the region for his talents and ability as a
soldier. He acquired the erect and soldierly bearing that training gives a
man and this never deserted him to the end of his life and at the age of
ninety-one he still maintained the same fine carriage. In Norfolk he took
part in politics and for many years was a favorite presiding officer for town
meetings. In 1885 he was elected to the State Legislature to represent
Norfolk and during his term in that body performed an invaluable service
to his constituents and to the community-at-large.

But it was in relation to his church, the Church of Christ in Norfolk,
that Mr. Selden was best known to his fellow citizens. His deep religious
feeling there found its expression in his relations to the other members of
the congregation and the act of worship in divine service. For many years
he was the senior deacon and his advice was valued as perhaps no other
man's in all the affairs of the church and congregation. In a memorial
prepared for this church at the time of Mr. Selden's death a brief and appre-
ciative resume of his life and character is given by the Rev. W. F. Stearns,
pastor of the church for eighteen years, who was one of the most intimate
friends of Deacon Selden. In the course of this he savs :

392 3[osepl) ^elDen

While Mr. Selden will always be gratefully remembered as one of Norfolk's most
highly respected and useful citizens, and also for his personal relations to individuals,
intimate and loving, it is by the Church of Christ in Norfolk, which he so long and faith-
fully served, that the loss will be most deeply felt. Indeed, such was his love and devo-
tion to his church here that we are confident that he would appreciate, above all else,
that his memory and service be cherished by his fellow members. As senior deacon he
was always looked up to for the final word in the settlement of all questions coming
before the church, whether in relation to its material or spiritual welfare and of the
wisdom of his advice there has been no question. Always cautious and conservative in
judgment, when once convinced after mature deliberation, he was adamant and ready to
act. When doubt existed as to any question how often would he say, "Let it mull."
Questions large and vital to the church have come up in these many years and to him
more than to any one has been deferred the final decision. We remember, too, his intense
loyalty and keen sense of preserving the dignity of the church in the selection of officers
and the conduct of its services. All will recall his gracious presence as he greeted
strangers at the church entrance and bowed them to seats on the center aisle. * * *
He was also loved and admired by the summer people who were pleased to call him
"Norfolk's grand old man." This church has lost its most conspicuous figure, one of an
old-fashioned type now so rare. Can his place be filled ?

Deacon Selden was twice married. His first wife was Lavinia Fuller,
born October 4, 1823, at Vernon, Oneida county. New York, to whom he
was married January 14, 1847, and who died June 17, 1857. On October
14, 1858, he was united in marriage with Emma Fuller, of Vernon, New
York, sister of his first wife, who survives him. To them one child was
born, Julia, deceased at the age of twenty-nine years, the wife of John D.
Bassett, of Norfolk, Connecticut, a banker of Spokane. Washington, and the
mother of three children, Joseph, Mary and Emma.

Clarb ifl. #unt

T IS NOT always the men who occupy the ofifices who mold
public opinion and leave the impress of their individuality
upon public life, but frequently the men who in the per-
formance of their daily duty wield the power that is all the
more potent from the fact that it is moral rather than
political, and is exercised for the public weal rather than
for personal ends. The late Clark M. Hunt, of New Milford,
Litchfield county, Connecticut, was one to whom the world instinctively
paid deference, not alone because of the success which he achieved, but by
reason of the straightforward business policy which he ever followed and
the methods he employed to attain the honorable success which came to him.
He commenced business life as the great majority of the world's workers
do — without especial assistance or advantages save those afforded by the
district schools, and it was through the force of his character, his strong
purpose, and his laudable ambition that he gained his high position in com-
mercial life and the esteem of his fellow townsmen.

Clark M. Hunt, son of Merritt Hunt, was born in Northville, Litchfield
county, Connecticut, October lo, 1857, and died at his home in New Milford,
Connecticut, February 24, 1908. He was a child four years of age when his
father enlisted in the Union armj' during the Civil War, and at that time
the bonds which united him with his mother appeared to be drawn more
closely, and this close relationship continued uninterrupted until severed by
death. He was still a very young lad when his natural ambition prompted
him to enter upon his business career, and his first venture was in his own
home, in which he placed a small stock of groceries, and sold these to the
people living in the vicinity of the old homestead. This venture proving
successful, he felt emboldened to build a small store on the homestead and
this paid sufficiently well to make it necessary to build a larger store, which
was also successfully conducted. In the course of time he added a soda
water business to the original enterprise, and conducted both with profit. In
1885 he removed to New Milford, Connecticut, and remained a resident of
that town until his death. Here also he established a soda water business,
locating it under the post office, and in 1890 associated himself in a partner-
ship with Lindsley R. Miller, in the grocery and soda water business, the
firm name becoming Hunt & Miller, and their place of business located on
Railroad street, in the building now occupied by Will Clark. A few years
later they sold this business and established themselves on the Bostwick
property, a five-acre tract on Grove street, where the store is still conducted,
in which Mr. Hunt was the leading spirit until obliged to retire by reason
of illness. Many years ago he had purchased the Pixley place on High
street, and resided in this for a period of eighteen years. Some years ago he
had his fine residence on Bridge street erected, which he was occupying at
the time of his death. He was a member of the local lodges of the Independ-

394 Clarb Qg. ^unt

ent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and
the Knights of the Maccabees.

Mr. Hunt married, November 7, 1883, Jennie E. Ives, daughter of
Reuben H. and Julia A. (Lee) Ives, of Leedsville, New York, and to them
was born one son, Harold I. Hunt, born April 12, 1893, at New Milford,
Connecticut; is superintendent of music in public schools of New Milford,
and is pipe organist of All Saints Episcopal Church. Mrs. Hunt is a member
of the Congregational Church at New Milford, as is also her son. Mrs.
Hunt is a woman of much amiability, whose gentleness and devotion to
her esteemed husband aroused the admiration of all. She was a fitting help-
mate to her lamented husband, whose life record needs little comment or
elaboration. That he was a man of broad public spirit is indicated between
the lines of this review. He fully realized individual responsibility and met
the obligations that rested upon him in his relations to his fellowmen. His
lifework contributed in a substantial measure to those interests which
indicate an advanced civilization in the care of the unfortunate and destitute.

/

>-^

IgatUtam Henrp B.eUogs dJotitrep

|F THE MANY remarkable men who have made their way to
a conspicuous place in connection with the development of
the great brass industry in Connecticut, none deserves more
to be remembered than William Henry Kellogg Godfrey, of
Waterbury, Connecticut, whose death there in 1910, re-
moved from the community one who not only took a promi-
nent place in the industrial and financial world, but was an
influence for good in many aspects of the city's life as an example of scholar-
ship and the fruits of culture and general enlightenment.

A descendant of fine old New England stock. Mr. Godfrey was the only
child of Clement Jennings and Mary (Cooley) Godfrey, of Coventry, Mas-
sachusetts, in which place he was born May 14, 1838. When he was three
years of age his parents removed to Waterbury, Connecticut, taking him
with them so that all his associations, even those of earliest childhood, were
with the city which became his permanent home. When he came of an age
to attend school, he went for a time to the local public institutions, but later
was sent by his parents to an academy at Watertown, where he completed
his formal education although, as a matter of fact, he never ceased to be a
student during his whole life, but was ever pursuing some course of study,
generally of a scientific nature, though by no means always so, and familiar-
ized himself through a very wide miscellaneous reading with a notable range
of subjects. Upon leaving school Mr. Godfrey, still a mere youth, took up
the work of practical telegraph}'^ and became an expert in that line, following
it steadily until he had reached the age of twenty-three years. All who came
in contact with young Mr. Godfrey at this time realized his intelligence and
ability, despite a somewhat retiring manner, afld had he cared to change his
employment he might easily have done so before he did. One of those who
appreciated his talent, however, was Lyman W. Coe, of Waterbury, a sketch
of whom precedes this in the work, who approached the young man with an
offer of the position of paymaster in the great concern of which he was
owner. Mr. Coe was one of the largest manufacturers of brass and brass-
ware in the State, his concern, the Coe Brass Works, having a very wide
reputation, and Mr. Godfrey accepted his offer gladly, thus beginning a
double association — the personal one with Mr. Coe which was only ended by
the death of the older man, and that with the great business which lasted
until the retirement of Mr. Godfrey from all active business. Starting with
a position as responsible as that of paymaster, Mr. Godfrey steadily rose in
the employ of the company to higher and higher posts of trust and for many
years was regarded as one of the most important figures in the development
of the brass industry in that region. And indeed it was a well deserved
regard, as no one could have given a more devoted and intelligent service
than he to the great interests with which he was identified. He continued
in this work until within four years of his death when he finally withdrew

396 William l^entg Kellogg (SoDfreg

from business life and removed to Litchfield, Connecticut, where he passed
these latter years engaged in the scientific pursuits of which he was so fond.

But in spite of his prominence in the business world it was not in that
connection that Mr. Godfrey was best known in the community, but rather
in the role of scholar and literary man. He was an authority on historical
subjects and was a member of the Waterbury and Litchfield Historical
societies and also of the scientific societies of those two places. Other than
this he was not fond of club and fraternity activities, seeking rather that
happiness and recreation that most men find in such circles in the more
intimate intercourse of his own family by his own hearthstone. One very
attractive manner in which his literary talents found expression was in the
writing of a book, which was a description of some early travels in a most
charming and individual style. There were but few aspects of life that did
not interest him and the political was no exception to this rule, yet his retire-
ment of nature was strongly displayed in this connection, preventing him, as
it did, from thrusting himself into the public notice as he might easily have
done. He was a strong Republican in belief and his prominence in the
community made him more than usually available as a candidate, but,
though urged by his colleagues to accept official responsibility, he consist-
ently refused and never held public office. In the matter of religion Mr.
Godfrey was a Congregationalist and a lifelong member of the Second Con-
gregational Church of Waterbury, to which he contributed liberally both of
his wealth and time, especially in connection with its philanthropic activities.

On November 31, 1866, Mr. Godfrey was united in marriage with Ade-
laide E. Coe, daughter of his old employer and friend, Lyman W. and
Eliza (Seymour) Coe, of Waterbury and Torrington. To Mr. and Mrs.
Godfrey was born one daughter, Helen, now the wife of N. D. Holbrook,
of Thomaston, Connecticut, and the mother of two sons, Deuel N. and
Clement. Mr. Holbrook is prominently connected with the Plumb & At-
wood Brass Works of Thomaston. Mrs. Godfrey survives her husband and
now resides in the handsome house which he purchased in Litchfield.

The character of Mr. Godfrey contained in combination a number of
elements which it is not very usual to find together. He was at once the
idealist and the practical man of affairs and it is difficult to say which pre-
dominated. It must always be remembered that he was eminently success-
ful in his business, in our expressive American phrase, "a selfmade man," a
fact that to anyone who knows industrial conditions in New England is
positive assurance of his grasp of worldly things. But, if it is not possible
to say which character was predominant, it is quite easy to say which was
the most conspicuous to the casual observer. In appearance and manner Mr.
Godfrey was the student, the enthusiast for the things of the mind and the
spirit, and seemed nearly all the time wrapped up in the pursuit of truth, a
wanderer in the realm of ideas. It is probably in this role that he exerted
the greatest influence upon the community and it is unquestionable that it is
thus that he will live longest in the memory and affection of his friends.

'6^€y

Epman lUetmore Coe

EW ENGLAND, during the latter part of its eventful history,
has given to this country and to the world some of the most
able and brilliant of the great captains of industrial enter-
prise whose appearance is so characteristic a feature of the
modern world. Among these the name of Lyman Wetmore
Coe is conspicuous, alike for the genius displayed by him as
an organizer and for the actual success that so fully crowned
his efforts. For over half a century he was connected with the brass indus-
try in Connecticut and for thirty of these years was president and held a con-
trolling interest in the Coe Brass Company, the largest concern of the kind
in the United States. A man of great capacity in his own line and of large
sympathies and a broad public spirit, he was one of the chief factors, not only
in the development of the great industry of which he was the head, but in the
growth of the community in which he dwelt so that his death on February
9, 1893, was felt by it as a serious loss.

Lyman Wetmore Coe was a member of one of the old Connecticut
families, his forbears having resided in that State from earliest Colonial
times, and it was from these, who throughout the history of the region dis-
tinguished themselves in its affairs, that he inherited the talents displayed
by him. The first notice of the Coe family in England of which there is
any record occurs in that famous old work "Fox's Book of Martyrs" in
which it is stated that one Roger Coe, of Milton, Suffolkshire, was burned at
the stake by order of Queen Mary in September, 1555. at Oxford in Suffolk-
shire, a full account of his trial and defense being given. The founder of the
family in this country was Robert Coe, born in Suffolkshire in 1596, who
came to Boston with his wife and three children in the month of June, 1634,
landed in Boston and settled later in Wethersfield, Connecticut, and
finally in Stamford. Mr. Coe's father was the Hon. Israel Coe, a
native of Goshen, Connecticut, where he was born December 14, 1794. He
lived to the venerable age of ninety-seven and retained to the end of his
life in a remarkable degree the powers and faculties of his youth. He was
a man of versatile abilities and was the founder of the brass industry in
1834 which afterwards, reorganized and changed in name, became in the
hands of his son, the largest of its kind in the country. The name of the
old concern was the Wolcottville Brass Company and this it retained
through many vicissitudes up to the time of its reorganization. The elder
Mr. Coe lived in a number of places both in and out of Connecticut and
everywhere was accorded a position of honor. He served a number of
terms in the Connecticut Legislature, in both houses, and when more than
four score years of age was elected commissioner of deeds of Essex county.
New Jersey, where he was then residing. During the latter part of his life
he took a keen and intelligent interest in the local history of his native region
and was the source of much of the interesting information contained in
Orcutt's "Historv of Torrington."

398 Lpman aoetmotc Coe

Lyman Wetmore Coe was born January 20, 1820, at Torrington, Con-
necticut, but it was with Waterbury, in the same State, that his childhood
associations were connected, for to that place his parents moved when he
was a mere infant. It was in Waterbury, also, that he gained his education,
in the common schools and the high school up to the time that he was four-
teen years of age. In 1834 his family returned to Torrington and there he
completed his schooling in the Morris Academy. Upon leaving school he
secured a clerical position in a mercantile house and continued therein for
about six years. The Wolcottville Brass Company was just entering upon
its first period of prosperity under the able management of Mr. Coe, Sr., and
in 1841 the young man was chosen secretary of that concern, having already
become a stockholder therein. For a period of four years he continued in
this office and then resigned and sold his interest, to accept the management
of the Waterbury Brass Company which had been offered to him. He
removed to Waterbury and there took up his new duties, remaining therein
for a period of eighteen years, during which time the concern prospered
highly. During this period Mr. Coe set himself to accumulate sufficient capi-
tal to enable him to realize a long-cherished ambition to engage in business
on his own account. While he was accumulating the capital he was also gain-
ing something equally necessary to success, namely, a profound knowledge of
business methods generally and of the brass industry in particular. In 1863
he severed his connection with the Waterbury concern and returned to Tor-
rington with the purpose of purchasing the old Wolcottville Company.
This concern had, meanwhile, passed through a number of vicissitudes, and
had changed hands several times, coming at last to almost complete de-
moralization. Mr. Coe purchased the whole plant and the business for the
sum of forty thousand dollars and organized the Coe Brass Manufacturing
Company with a capital stock of one hundred thousand dollars. Of this he
held the controlling interest and was elected to the presidency. The old
plant was at once opened and a period of aggressive expansion followed,
resulting in an increase of business truly remarkable. For the first time in
his life Mr. Coe had a free and unobstructed field for the expression of his
talent and he took advantage of it, concerning himself with every depart-
ment of the business, organizing the forces actually engaged in the manu-
facture, regulating the output, increasing the efficiency of the plant and
extending the market and the outside connections on a very large scale.
Steadily the business increased and expanded until he had the satisfaction
of seeing it the most important factor in the brass interests of the United
States. For over thirty years he remained at the head of the great establish-
ment, its directing force, and it is wholly to his genius that this mastership
of organization is due.

Despite the tremendous demands made upon his time and energy by
the great business he directed, Mr. Coe took a keen interest in the general
affairs of the community and, like so many of his ancestors, participated in
the conduct of them not a little. He was elected to the Connecticut State
Assembly and served on that body from 1845 to 1858, and later was sent to
the State Senate, serving in 1862 and from 1877 to 1882. Mr. Coe could not,
in the nature of the case, take a very active part in the social life of the place.

JLpman mctmott Coe 399

yet he was fond of intercourse with his fellows and sought them out in so
far as his time and strength permitted him. He was a member of several
clubs and organizations, chief among which should be mentioned the Union
League Club of New York City and the New York Yacht Club.

On November 3, 1S41, Mr. Coe was united in marriage with Eliza Sey-
mour, born November 3, 1820, a daughter of Samuel and Lura (Taylor)
Seymour. To Mr. and Mrs. Coe were born three children, as follows:
Adelaide E., born October 29, 1845, and now Mrs. William H. K. Godfrey,
of Litchfield, Connecticut (a sketch of Mr. Godfrey precedes this in the
work) ; Edward Turner, mentioned below ; and Ella Seymour, born Feb-
ruary 23, 1854, and now a resident of Litchfield.

Edward Turner Coe was born June i, 1848. He was educated in the
private schools of Waterbury, later at the famous Gunnery School at Wash-
ington, Connecticut, and finally at General Russell's school in New Haven.
In 1863 he accompanied his parents upon their removal to Torrington, Con-
necticut, and there, three years later, began his business career in the great
Coe Brass Works founded by his grandfather and reorganized by his father.
He began with a humble position in the shop where he learned the details of
the actual manufacture and from that capacity was transferred to the office
where he took up the other side of the business and gained an exhaustive
knowledge thereof as a bookkeeper. Somewhat later he was made treasurer
of the company and held that most important and responsible position until
1907, when he retired and went to New Haven. He made his home in that
city for two years or until his death on October 5, 1909. Upon the formation
of the gigantic concern known as the American Brass Company by the merg-
ing of the great independent companies, Mr. Coe became a member of the
board of directors of the new corporation and continued in that office during
the remainder of his life. He was also a director of the Torrington Water
Company and a trustee of the Torrington Savings Bank. He was a promi-
nent member of the Episcopal church in Torrington, and represented his
community both in the State Assembly and Senate, being of the third gener-
ation in direct descent to do so. On October 9, 1873, Mr. Coe was united
in marriage with Lillie A. Wheeler, a daughter of Amos and Martha (Chid-
sey) Wheeler, of Avon, Connecticut.

3lo})n (B. parsons

F THERE IS a lesson well worth while learning to be found
in the records of men, whose achievements in their own
interests have been marked with success, how much greater
and more worthy is that lesson contained in the careers of
those which have been chiefly concerned with the good of
others, whose efforts have been directed towards the expres-
sion of some altruistic ideal, with the service of which they
have allowed not even those ambitions most dear to the hearts of their
fellows to interfere. The names of John G. Parsons and Mrs. Parsons, his
wife, will long be remembered in Hartford for their disinterested lives, and
the earnest, efficient work for the unfortunate in that city. Their influence
was not confined to any one place, however, but in connection with the great
cause of temperance, has spread abroad no one can say how far, and affected
a number of people not to be reckoned by human skill or ingenuity.

Mr. Parsons was born June 2, 1821, in Windsor, Connecticut, a member
of a fine old New England family, and the son of Erastus and Clarissa
(Bronson) Parsons, lifelong residents of that town, Mr. Parsons, Sr., having
been born there in 1782. The death of the elder man occurred when his son
was but fifteen years of age, and after this event, the lad left his home and
native place and went to Hartford, where it was his intention to find employ-
ment and earn his own livelihood. He soon found a position with Brown &
Drake, one of the leading firms of the city in the book-binding business, and
there set about learning the trade. He was quickly successful in this, his apt
mind and willingness to learn and apply himself, recommending him to his
employers so that he found a speedy advancement in the concern. It was
not a great while, indeed, before he was admitted to the firm, which even-
tually became known as Drake & Parsons. The establishment was situated
on Main street, Hartford, and was connected with the important publishing
house of Bliss & Company. The business was an exceedingly prosperous
one, and was regarded as one of the most successful mercantile enterprises
in the city.

Successful as he was in business, it was not in that connection that Mr.
Parsons was best known in Hartford, but rather in the relation which he
held to reform movements of all kinds, in politics, in charities, in education
and in religion. He was very active in the political world, and allied himself
with the local Republican organization, but without any interest in any-
thing but the question of instituting reforms in the city government, and a
general campaign of enlightenment in political issues among the people. He
was urged by his fellow Republicans to run for office, but this he refused
absolutely to do, preferring to maintain the absolute independence of opinion
and action, that only the private citizen enjoys. But though he would accept
no political office, he did join the volunteer fire department in 1840, and con-
tinued a member until his death, a period of fifty years. He was greatly
interested in the welfare of this department, and was very popular therein,

31of)n <g^. parsons 4°"

beginning in the ranks and being promoted until he finally reached the rank
of chief engineer of the department. In 1849, while acting as assistant
engineer, he received from his fellow members a handsome silver speaking
trumpet in token of their regard for the man and his work. Besides this, Mr.
Parsons also consented to serve as chairman on the school board for several
years, during which time he performed an invaluable service in the cause of
education in Hartford. The matter to which he gave the most unwearied
efifort, however, was combatting the liquor evil with the weapons of religion.
He was a staunch supporter of temperance principles and was for many
years an active and prominent member of the Order of Rechabites.

John G. Parsons was united in marriage, May 5, 1844, with Miss Betsey
M. Knox, a daughter of Samuel and Lydia (Benton) Knox, old residents of
Manchester, Connecticut, where Mr. Knox was a prominent farmer. Mrs.
Parsons, who was born December 9, 1823, was the youngest of ten children,
and, her father dying when she was a mere child, she was taken by her
uncle. Deacon Elijah Knox, and brought up by him as one of his own
children. Elijah Knox was deacon of the old South Congregational Church
of Hartford for many years, and also the principal of the Brown School in
Hartford, a man beloved by all who were privileged to know him. To Mr.
and Mrs. Parsons were born two children, a daughter Alice, who died in
early childhood, and a son, John Knox, who after a short but very success-
ful career, died April 4, 1892, at the age of thirty years. He was educated
in the schools of Hartford and then learned the gold-beater's trade in the
employ of James H. Ashmead & Son. He remained about five years in this
business and then embarked in the hardware trade on his own account. He
did not continue this venture a great while, however, as delicate health
forced him to retire for a period. He accordingly sold his business and after
a period of rest, became interested in hotels. For three years he conducted
a hotel at Lake Dunmore, Vermont, with great success, at the end of which
time he started the erection of a much larger house in the same location,
with every modern appliance, and at the cost of one hundred thousand dol-
lars. The house was to accommodate three hundred guests, but while it was
in course of construction the young owner died, and did not see its comple-
tion though it was finished by his mother, Mrs. Parsons, later. John K. Par-
sons was married to Miss Nellie Frisbee, now deceased, as well as their only
child, Bessie.

Mrs. John G. Parsons is the great-grandaughter of the immigrant an-
cestor of the family, Archibald Knox, who settled in Ashford, Connecticut,
in 1762, whither he had come from his native land of Scotland. Both he and
his descendants have always occupied a conspicuous place in the community
of which they have been members. On the maternal side of the house Mrs.
Parsons is descended from John Benton of East Hartford, a man of strong
character, who also exercised great influence in his neighborhood. Mrs.
Parsons is indeed a worthy descendant of her distinguished forbears.
Though ninety-one )^ears of age, she retains all her faculties and is still
active in the causes to which she has so unselfishly devoted practically the
whole of her long life. She is typical of that splendid class of women which

CONH— Vol III -26

402 3Io|)n ©. parsons

flourished in that part of the world during the past, and which shall always
be famous under the beautiful title of the New England gentlewoman. She,
as one of them, finds it not difficult to be at once womanly and highly edu-
cated, at once familiar with the best in literature, art and science, and the
practical director of her household and home, qualifications which to-day,
alas, are too commonly considered incompatible. She is now the only person
living in Hartford who was a member of the congregation of the old
"Melodian Building," since organized into the Fourth Congregational
Church. Both she and Mr. Parsons were devoted to the interests of the
group of sincere Christians, and Mr. Parsons, who had an excellent voice,
sang in the choir in the old building. After the founding of the Fourth Con-
gregational Church, they retained their membership in the body, Mr. Par-
sons until the time of his death, and Mrs. Parsons to the present time. In
her youth she was assistant superintendent of the Sunday school for many
years, under the rectorship of the celebrated Rev. Mr. Burton, and during
this time was often sent as a delegate to the Sunday school conventions in
various parts of the country. Mrs. Parsons has always been identified with
the progressive movements of her sex, and was the first woman of Hartford
to join the woman's suffrage movement, originated at the meetings con-
ducted by Isabella Beecher, a sister of Henry Ward Beecher. She was one
of those who acted on the committee appointed to assist Miss Beecher in her
work. But probably the most characteristic work that Mrs. Parsons has
done, has been that in connection with the temperance movement, in which,
like her husband, she engaged heart and soul. She was for many years presi-
dent of the local Women's Christian Temperance Union, and kept that
institution most active in the fight. She has personally known and enter-
tained at her house most of the great speakers on the subject for many years
past, including the Rev. Graham Taylor, Miss Frances E. Willard, John B.
Gough and Colonel Bain, of Kentucky. She is still a member of the Board
of Temple Trustees in Chicago and a director in the American Publishing
House, of Hartford. During the life of her son, Mr. John Knox Parsons,
Mrs. Parsons traveled with him extensively, partly in connection with her
various works, and partly for pleasure. Mr. Parsons, Jr., spent a number of
winters prior to his death in San Antonio, Texas, and his mother was often
with him there.

Not often does one see so fortunate a union as that of Mr. and Mrs.
Parsons, not often does one find husband and wife so completely of one
mind in what they regard as the duties and pleasures of life, terms wellnigh
synonymous in their case. It was as with one heart that they undertook the
tasks which seemed to them to most need accomplishing in their quarter of
place and time. The ills only too obviously attributable to the immoderate
use of liquor appealed with especial vividness to them, and awakened an
ardent desire to do something to banish them. They joined with the great-
est enthusiasm, therefore, the movement to that end which at that time was
particularly active in New England, and united their efforts with those men
and women, whose disinterested services in this cause have won them
a place in the memory of their fellow countrymen. They united their efforts
with these with a degree of efficiency which was doubtless all the greater

31obn (&, Ipatsons;

403

from the fact that they received mutual encouragement, inspiration and
support from one another in that ideal union which held them until death
intervened. Their work was appreciated in Hartford, and their names came
to be associated together with all that was noblest in the hearts of those who
were benefited thereby. There are few fortunes so happy as this, and few
people who better deserved it. If we may say with Carlyle, "blessed is the
man who has found his work," surely we may add that twice blessed are they
that have found a true companion therein.

Hotoart g^amuel Collins

OWARD S. COLLINS, of the well known Collins family
of Collinsville, Connecticut, is descended from ancient
American lineage, tracing directly to the Pilgrim ances-
tors.

John Collins lived in Brampton, County Sufifolk, Eng-
land, where he died and was buried. His third wife, Abigail
Rose, daughter of Thomas Rose, of Exmouth, County
Devon, England, was buried at Braintree, County Essex, England. Two of
their sons settled in America, Edward at Cambridge, and John at Braintree,
Massachusetts. John (2) Collins was born about 1616, and lived in Boston
and Braintree, Massachusetts. He was admitted to the Boston church, April
4, 1646, and having thus qualified for citizenship, was admitted a freeman.
May 6 following. He was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artil-
lery Company of Boston, in 1644, had a grant of land at Braintree, and was
active and prominent in the colony. His wife, Susanna Usher, accompanied
him from England. They were the parents of John, of whom further.

John (3) Collins was born about 1640, in Boston, died December 10,
1704. at Guilford, Connecticut. He first located in Branford, Connecticut,
and moved to Guilford in 1669. He was one of the patentees named in the
charter of Connecticut, 1685. He married, in 1662, Mary Trowbridge, and
they were the parents of John, of whom further.

John (4) Collins was born in 1665, at Saybrook, died January 4, 1751,
in Guilford. He married, June 23, 1691, Ann Leete, born August 5, 1671,
died November 2, 1724, daughter of John and Mary (Chittenden) Leete,
granddaughter of Governor William Leete, a pioneer of Guilford. They
were the parents of Daniel, of whom further.

Daniel Collins was born June 13, 1701, in Guilford. He married,
March 15, 1725, Lois Cornwall, baptized February 18, 1702, at Middletown,
Connecticut, daughter of William Cornwall. They were the parents of
Augustus, of whom further.

General Augustus Collins, born August 7, 1743, was a soldier of the
Revolution, and died April 30, 1813, at North Guilford, where he made his
home. Between the years 1783 and 1813 he represented Guilford at thirty-
five sessions of the State Assembly. He married, June 9, 1768, Mary, daugh-
ter of Simeon Chittenden, who survived him seven years, dying January 21,
1821. They were the parents of Alexander, of whom further.

Alexander Collins engaged in the practice of law at Middletown, Con-
necticut, where he died in 1815. He married Elizabeth Blair Watkmson,
September 2, 1801, who after his death removed with her family to Hartford,
Connecticut. Her sons, Samuel Watkinson, of whom further, and David C,
were the founders of the great manufacturing business at Collinsville. Eliz-
abeth Blair Watkinson was a daughter of Samuel Watkinson and Sarah
Blair, of Larenham, Sufifolk county, England.

Samuel Watkinson Collins was born September 8, 1802, at Middletown,

l^otoatD Samuel Collins 405

Connecticut, and was early employed in the iron business at Hartford by his
uncle, David Watkinson, with whom he became a partner very soon after
attaining his majority. His younger brother, David C. Collins, was taken
into the famil}^ and store of Mr. Watkinson, where his attention was early
attracted to the crude condition of axes as they were placed on the market.
Becoming convinced that a better system was feasible, as soon as he attained
his majority he interested his elder brother, and the firm of Collins & Com-
pany began business in 1826, at what was then South Canton. This was
changed to CoUinsville in December, 1831, upon the establishment of a post
ofiice at that point. Samuel W. Collins became the business manager of the
establishment, and the business was organized in 1834 as the Collins Com-
pany, with a capital of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. This was in
time increased to one million dollars, and since 1835 the business has never
failed to pay an annual dividend. In 1867-68 the company constructed a
dam across the Farmington river, eighteen feet high and three hundred feet
long, made entirely of native granite. At the beginning of business the
workmen received from twelve to fifteen dollars per month, with board, and
were able to turn out eight axes in a day. These were ground upon the
premises, and were fit for use on leaving the factory. Some idea of the extent
of the business may be gathered from the fact that more than six hundred
tons of grindstones are worn out each year in finishing the product. The
Collins Axe is known throughout the world as of standard quality, manu-
factured upon honor. Samuel W. Collins was a keen judge of men, and
surrounded himself with efficient assistants, in whose welfare fie took a
sincere interest. In his endeavor to prevent the sale of liquor at CoUinsville
he bought in time two hotels and a drug store. He sold to many people, on
favorable and liberal terms, land for houses, and every deed contained a
provision which prohibited the manufacture or sale of liquor on the premises.
He was one of the founders of the Congregational church at CoUinsville, and
among the most public-spirited citizens. When the Collins brothers pur-
chased the water power at South Canton, the village consisted of a grist mill
and one house. He died April 30. 1871. His wife. Sarah Howard (Colt)
Collins, was a descendant of John Colt, who was an early resident of Wind-
sor, Connecticut, where he married (first) Mary Fitch, and (second) Ann
Skinner.

Howard Samuel Collins, son of Samuel Watkinson and Sarah Howard
(Colt) Collins, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, July 24, 1827, and died
at his summer home. Watch Hill, Rhode Island, June 22., 1914. He was
taken by his mother, when an infant, together with his elder brother Richard,
from Hartford to CoUinsville. Richard Collins died at the age of seventeen
years. Other children of the family, born in CoUinsville, died in childhood.
Howard S. Collins attended the public school, and schools in Hartford and
Lee, Massachusetts, and when a young man entered the sales department
of the Collins Company, and was subsequently a partner with his uncle,
Harris Colt, and in its store on Water street. New York City. Afterward
he returned to the manufacturing plant in CoUinsville, which was constantly
growing in size and importance. Here he opened a private bank, and also
operated a large farm, which was stocked with the finest of graded cattle,

4o6 ^otoatD Samuel CoIIinsi

and he was also a great lover of flowers of every description, these growing
in profusion on his property. In 1871 he became a director of the Collins
Company, succeeding his father, and was at the time of his death the oldest
member of the board, both in age and point of service. In 1895 he retired
from active business. Some time prior to the Civil War his father erected a
very fine residence in Collinsville, and about six or seven years after the
death of the elder Mr. Collins, Howard S. Collins purchased the old family
mansion and resided therein for about twenty years, during which time he
and his wife entertained almost continuously, their home being noted for
the hospitality dispensed there. They moved from that to the house in
Hartford now occupied by Mrs. Collins. For a number of years Mr. Collins
was largely interested in ships and shipping, owning several vessels, and in
this line of business he was called upon to spend several winters in Florida,
his wife accompanying him. Shortly after 1880 he established a summer
cottage at Watch Hill, where he spent every summer season, living close to
nature. He was very fond of out-door sports and of society, but during the
last years of his life he was rendered feeble by ill health, and was forced to
spend the most of his time in his library and home.

He was the founder of the library at Collinsville. and was always a
student, his memory remaining clear to the time of his death. The last years
of his life were as full of sunshine as were the earlier ones, rendered so by his
cheerful disposition and congenial surroundings. He was a member of the
Congregational church of Collinsville, from which he never withdrew his
membership, and was a regular attendant at the Center Congregational
Church of Hartford after his removal to that city. In principle he affiliated
with the Republican party, with which he usually acted. His home life was
ideal, and he had no taste for contests or the excitement of political cam-
paign.

Mr. Collins married (first) February 25, 1856, Alice Terry, who left
two children: Faith W., now residing in Florida, and Alice, of Hartford,
Connecticut. Mr. Collins married (second) December 18, 1878, Helen C.
Raymond, of Brooklyn, New York. She survives her husband.

Soon after the death of Mr. Collins, Rev. Rockwell Harmon Potter, D.
D., pastor of the Center Congregational Church of Hartford, who officiated
at his funeral, contributed to the Hartford "Courant," the following tribute
to his memory: "The death of Mr. Howard S. Collins has removed one of
the survivors of a generation that is fast passing away. There were many
who knew him well in other years. Some of them remain to testify to the
charm of his presence and the strength of his character. For a long time now
his infirmities have kept him a prisoner in his home here or in his simple
cottage at Watch Hill. Few of the younger people of the city have had the
privilege of knowing him. As one of those to whom this privilege has been
granted I should like to bear witness to the true nobility and spiritual
strength which was his even in the time of his physical weakness. He
traveled widely in his youth and the recollections of many and distant scenes
were ever vivid in his mind. He had walked or driven over much of New
England and his love of nature preserved the memory of countless scenes
among her hills and valleys. He would describe affectionately flowers and

l^otiiatD Samuel Collins

407

birds that he had not seen for forty years. His Hfe was rich in meditation —
that g-ift so rare in these busy times — and his observations upon Hfe were
always wise and just, and the truth upon his lips was always spoken in love."
The body of Mr. Collins was laid to rest in Collinsville Cemetery, and the
bearers at his funeral were the directors of the Collins Company. They
presented to Mrs. Collins a set of resolutions lamenting the death of their
fellow, which were beautifully bound in leather and suitably inscribed.

aaron Cossitt (J^ooliman

ARON COSSITT GOODMAN and his older brother,
Edward, a biography of whose son, Richard French Good-
man, is given also in this work, were descendants of Richard
Goodman, an Englishman by birth, who is recorded as a
proprietor in Newtown (now Cambridge), Massachusetts,
in 1633, and who went to Hartford, Connecticut, with the
first settlers, under the leadership of the Rev. Thomas
Hooker, in 1636. Later this first Richard Goodman moved on to Farming-
ton, and from there to Hadley, Massachusetts, where he was killed by the
Indians in King Philip's War in 1676. His son, Richard Goodman, went
back to the neighborhood of Hartford to live, and a considerable number
of his descendants remained there. The "Boston Chronicle" of May 2, 1768,
describes the burning of Timothy Goodman's home in what is now West
Hartford, when a visitor in the house, little Miss Jerusha Ensign, lost her
life; and Richard Goodman, a son of Timothy Goodman and grandfather of
Aaron Cossitt Goodman, served in the American Revolution in Captain
Seymour's company, of Hartford. This Richard Goodman's son, Aaron
Goodman, was born in 1773, in the farm house which still stands on what is
now Main street. West Hartford, near the brook where the family formerly
owned a mill. In 1804 he married Alma Cossitt, daughter of Asa and Mary
(Cole) Cossitt, of Granby, Connecticut. When the town of West Hartford
was set ofif from Hartford, he became postmaster, and held that office until
his death. The cupboard of cherry wood, twenty-nine inches high and
less than a yard wide, which served as post office, is still in existence, and
has twelve pigeon holes in one-half of its lower part, the rest of the space
being given up to larger compartments and shelves. Its original adequacy
for the purpose for which it was intended has never been questioned.

Aaron Cossitt Goodman, son of Aaron and Alma (Cossitt) Goodman,
was born April 23, 1822, in a house on the corner of the old Albany turnpike
and the main street of West Hartford, where his parents lived their married
life. He was their third son, and fifth and youngest child. His childhood
was spent in going to the district school and in helping about his father's
farm. Four years after his father's death in 1832, when he was fourteen
years old, it was necessary for him to go to work, and he became clerk in
Sumner's book store in Hartford. In 1841, before he was twenty years old,
he went to Philadelphia to take a position with A. S. Barnes & Company,
who were establishing a publishing house there with the idea that Phila-
delphia, not New York, was to be the mercantile metropolis of the country.
Mr. Goodman's engagement with this firm was for two years ; but before the
expiration of the first year he received an advantageous offer from his
former employer, Mr. Sumner, to become associated with him as a partner;
he therefore obtained a release from A. S. Barnes & Company, and returned
to Hartford as a member of the firm of Sumner & Goodman. In 1848 Mr.
Goodman bought out his partner's interest in the store, which he continued

3aron Cossitt (SooDman 409

to manage alone until 1852, when he in turn sold out, and went to New York
to engage in the wholesale paper business. Mr. Goodman remained in busi-
ness in New York for twenty-one years. At the organization of the Phoenix
Mutual Life Insurance Company of Hartford in 1851, however, he had
become a stockholder, and subsequently he was a director in the company.
In 1873 he left New York and returned permanently to Hartford; and two
years later, in June, 1875, he was made president of the Phoeni.x Life, suc-
ceeding the Hon. Edson Fessenden. The company prospered under Mr.
Goodman's management, and he held the presidency of it a little more than
fourteen years, resigning in 1889, and giving up all connection with it a
little later, when it underwent an entire reorganization. After retiring from
his official connection with the company, Mr. Goodman took up no other
active enterprises, feeling a need for rest after his long and close application
to business. He lived quietly at home until his death on July 29, 1899.

Mr. Goodman had, in the course of his life, a number of active interests
outside of business. He was connected with the old independent fire depart-
ment of Hartford, and was for some years a member in the well known
Sack and Bucket Company, a part of Hartford's volunteer fire department.
He was in the militia, and was captain of the Hartford Light Guard, later
serving on the stafif of General Frank Bacon with the rank of lieutenant-
colonel. He was a member, also, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
and of St. John's Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons. When a young man,
he sang in the choirs of St. Francis Xavier and of the Church of the Puri-
tans, New York, and was associated with other young men who were inter-
ested in music and art, one among whom, Frederick E. Church, lived to make
good his fame as an artist. Mr. Goodman belonged to the Protestant Epis-
copal church, and after his return to Hartford in 1873 became a member of
Trinity Parish, where for years he was on the vestry.

On April 9, 1857, Mr. Goodman married Annie M. Johnston, of New
York, a daughter of Robert Rhea and Mary Sears (Hatch) Johnston. Mrs.
Goodman survives her husband, and is living in the family home at No. 834
Asylum avenue, Hartford. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Good-
man, as follows: Emilie, now Mrs. Richard Wright, of Cambridge, Massa-
chusetts; Edward, died in 1872; Annie, who is Mrs. John F. Plumb, of New
Milford, Connecticut ; Mary A. ; and Richard Johnston. The last named was
born March 23, 1875, in Hartford, and is a graduate of Yale College and of
the Yale Law School. He is a member of the law firm of Newberry &
Goodman of Hartford; is a manufacturer of automobile parts; has served in
the Court of Common Council of Hartford; and is a colonel in the State
militia.

3Rtcl)art JFrencl) (S^ootiman

;Y FAR THE larger part of the active life of Richard French
Goodman was passed in the little town of Newton, New
Jersey, which, adopted as his home during his young man-
hood, remained the scene of his work until the end of his
life; his personal and family associations with his native
city, Hartford, Connecticut, continued to be so intimate,
however, and his affection for his birthplace was so endur-
ing, that it seems appropriate to include an account of his life in this book.

Edward Goodman, the father of Richard French Goodman, was born
in what is now West Hartford, Connecticut, in 1805, and was the eldest son
of Aaron and Alma (Cossitt) Goodman. He was a graduate of Trinity
College, Hartford, and practiced law in that city, for many years as a partner
of General Nathan Johnson, with whom he had studied. He married
Marietta Burritt French, of Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1840, and to them
were born five children, the eldest of whom, Richard French, was the only
one who lived to attain his majority.

Richard French Goodman was born in Hartford in 1841. His educa-
tion was begun in the local public schools ; he was graduated from the Harris
Military Academy in 1858, and from Trinity College, Hartford, with honor
in 1863, when he was presenter of the lemon squeezer on Class Day. In
February, 1864, he was appointed acting assistant paymaster in the United
States navy, and was stationed at the Brooklyn navy yard. Later he was
ordered to the United States steamer, "Nightingale," which then lay in the
^ulf of Mexico, but after a cruise of two months returned north. The
department complimented him upon the fact that in his first report, then
made, his accounts were found to be complete and without error, and in
August he was transferred to a more important position, being ordered to
join the "Miami," at Hampton Roads, Virginia. This was the first vessel
of the navy to ascend the James river, and Paymaster Goodman was sent
there to take charge of the storeship of the large fleet that followed, perform-
ing that duty until they returned in May, 1868. The cruise being ended, he
declined a place among the regular assistants, with the promise of speedy
promotion, and resigned at the end of the leave granted for making up his
accounts. A short time later he was given leave without date, and received
his honorable discharge in 1868.

Mr. Goodman studied law in the Albany Law School, and obtained his
law degree there. He was admitted to the Connecticut bar, and began to
practice in Hartford with his father, but the work was not congenial, and in
1869 he took advantage of an opportunity to become owner and editor of the
"Sussex Register," a small newspaper published in Newton, Sussex county,
New Jersey. The "Register" had run down on account of lack of enterprise
in the management, but Mr. Goodman succeeded in building it up. He con-
tinued to edit the paper until a few years before his death, when, feeling that
he was ready to retire, he sold it.

ElfcljatD JftencI) <25ooDman 411

During all the time that Mr. Goodman spent in Newton, he identified
himself heartily with the life of the community. He was a member of the
Newton Steamer Company during the first nine years after its organization,
and for two years was its foreman. He was connected with Harmony
Lodge, No. 8, Free and Accepted Masons; Baldwin Chapter, No. 17, Royal
Arch Masons (of which he was secretary for thirty-five years) ; DeMolay
Commandery, Knights Templar; and was a noble of Salaam Temple, An-
cient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He was one of the direc-
tors of the Newton Library Association, and a charter member of the New-
ton Club. At one time he was treasurer and director of the County Fair
Association; in 1912 he was president of the Newton Board of Trade; and
from 1912 to March, 1915, (the month before his death), he was president
of the Sussex County Branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals. He was a member of Company G, Seventh Regiment National
Guard New Jersey, from its beginning in 1888, and was soon elected its
captain. In 1897 he was promoted to the rank of major in the regiment.

Mr. Goodman belonged to the Captain Walker Post, Grand Army of
the Republic, and to the order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
He was appointed postmaster of Newton by President McKinley in Octo-
ber, 1897, and was reappointed twice by President Roosevelt, serving in all
nearly twelve years and a half. To him was due the credit of the establishment
of the carrier service in Newton, his recommendation being favorably acted
upon by the Postmaster-General in 1901, and the service beginning on
October first of that year. During his term the receipts of the post office
increased fifty per cent.; two additional New York mails were put on; an
early morning mail from New York was secured ; and three rural routes
were established, taking in a big section of the county about Newton. Mr.
Goodman was a member of Christ Church (Episcopal) of Newton. He was
a lay reader, and many times held services in the church in the absence of a
rector. During the latter part of his life he was senior warden of the church.

Mr. Goodman never married, and family ties brought him back to Hart-
ford regularly three or four times a year throughout his life, to his father's
and then to his stepmother's home, and later still to the home of his uncle's
family. He hardly ever failed to be present at Trinity College Commence-
ment, and in June, 1913, was one of the six survivors of the class of '63 who
met for their semi-centennial reunion. Mr. Goodman died April 14, 1915,
aged seventy-four years. He is survived by four cousins, the children of
Aaron Cossitt Goodman, and by one cousin in his mother's family.

Wlarren WS.. MmtU

*ROM 1833 UNTIL 1913 covers a span of eighty years, the
period covered by the business enterprise of Captain Wil-
liam Bissell, of Civil War service, and his son, Warren W.
Bissell. Captain Bissell began business in Litchfield as a
painting contractor, taught his son the trade and detail of a
contracting business, then when years incapacitated him
withdrew. Both were men of high standing, excellent men
and scrupulously upright.

Warren W. Bissell was born in the Milton section of Litchfield, Con-
necticut, April 15, 1836, died in Litchfield Borough, November 24, 1913, son
of Captain William and Amanda J. (Bissell) Bissell. After completing his
school years he began learning the trade of painter with his father whose
shop was in Litchfield. He worked at his trade as a journeyman for several
years. He went into the general store at Milton in the late fifties (probably
1858) and conducted that business about eight years. He then opened a
shop at Milton for making sleighs; but in 1873 again took up the painting
business at Litchfield with his brother, and from 1888 carried on the painting
business by himself until his death in 1913. He continued his residence in
Milton at the old homestead until his marriage, and during the earlier half
of his life then moved to the borough of Litchfield of which Milton is now a
part.

Mr. Bissell was a man of high principle, faithful and conscientious in
the performance of every obligation, business, official or private. His long
life of seventy-seven years was spent within the limits of Litchfield and no
man in that community was more highly esteemed. His friends were many
and in St. Michael's Episcopal Church his lifelong membership endeared
him to Christian workers. He served his town as tax collector, was a direc-
tor of the Litchfield Mutual Fire Insurance Company and interested in
many borough activities. He was a Democrat in politics but took little
active interest in party affairs. He was devoted to his home and there spent
his hours of leisure.

Mr. Bissell married, October 22, 1872, Samantha J. Beach, daughter of
Almon and Antoinette (Birge) Beach, of Litchfield. Mrs. Bissell survives
her husband, residing at the old home built in 1787 that Mr. Bissell bought
with his brother in 1878. She has no children.

/f . yl-. /i-^^^-^-'j^^

(BtoxQt ©liber Simons

N THE DEATH of George Oliver Simons on September 8,
1912, the city of Hartford, Connecticut, lost one of its most
successful merchants and one who, though not a native of
the city, had yet spent the major part of his life there, and
had become closely identified with its traditions and life.

His parents were David and Lovicia (Wheat) Simons,
residents of New York City, and it was there on November
I, 1836, that George Oliver Simons was born. He got but a meagre school-
ing in his boyhood, and was bound out as an apprentice to a farmer in New
Jersey, while little more than a child. Here he remained but a short time as
his mother took him home, and later, when he had reached young manhood,
he removed to Connecticut and made his home in Hartford. He was soon
able to secure a position in the foundry of Woodruff & Beach, where he
stayed for a time until he found a better opening in the great establishment
of the Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company. With the Colt
people he remained for a number of years, but eventually severed his con-
nection with them to take a position with James L. Howard & Company,
manufacturers of railroad supplies on a large scale. The terms of his asso-
ciation with the last named company were very satisfactory, and he worked
for it under a contract, with a number of men under him. But in spite of this
Mr. Simons was not entirely satisfied, as he was ambitious to be engaged in
an enterprise of his own which he felt confident of his ability to make a suc-
cess of. After he had been with the railroad supplies concern for some years,
an opportunity arose in a somewhat remarkable way for the gratification of
this ambition, which he was not slow to avail himself of.

Mr. Simons had been married toward the close of the year 1862 to
Josephine L. Fox, of Hartford, and it was through the instrumentality of his
wife that his opportunity came about. It would have been quite impossible
for Mr. Simons to have given up his position with the James L. Howard
Company in the year 1882, and undertaken a business venture of his own,
yet it was perfectly easy for him in the same year to furnish his wife and her
brother, Horace P. Fox, with the capital necessary to start a small business
in awnings, as they desired to do. This he did, and never was capital better
invested. The headquarters of the little trade consisted of one small room
at No. 81 Asylum street, but under the skillful management of Mrs. Simons
and Mr. Fox and the good advice of Mr. Simons, the little business grew
rapidly and soon assumed such proportions as to assure its owners of ulti-
mate success. When at length it had quite outgrown its original quarters,
Mr. Simons began to take an active part in the conduct of it, giving up his
connection with the James L. Howard people, and devoting his whole
energy and attention to the promising venture. The first thing that he did
was to remove it from No. 81 to No. 23 Asylum street into an excellent store,
with plenty of space for expansion. The business was first transacted under
the name of G. O. Simons, with Mr. Fox as manager, but later the latter

414 CDcotge ©litiet Simons

was soon after taken into partnership, and the firm became Simons & Fox.
The business continued to grow and flourish greatly until at length it be-
came necessary to remove to still larger quarters. No. 7 Haynes street was
the location chosen and there was established a factory and store of an
attractive sort, the business once more resuming its great development.
Once more, in 1902, it became necessary to move and the establishment was
this time located at No. 240 Asylum street, where it stands to-day. In the
year 1908 Mr. Fox died and from that time until his own death Mr. Simons
directed the affairs of the concern, the style of the firm becoming George O.
Simons, successors to Simons & Fox. During all these years of changing
location and name, however, Mrs. Simons still continued to own an interest
in the concern, though her name never appeared in connection with it, and
at the death of her husband, she became the sole owner of the business. On
July I, 1913, however, she took into partnership two business men of reputa-
tion in Hartford, Messrs. William Goltra and Charles D. Melona, retaining,
however, the original firm name. Mrs. Simons has from the first shown
remarkable business abilities, and has alwaj's played an important part in
the direction of the affairs of the concern, and between the failure of Mr.
Simons' health and his death, as well as after the latter event, up to the time
of the formation of the new partnership, managed it alone. Indeed she was
a controlling factor in the business and continued to display her great talent
in the management until she retired from the business, January i, 191 5. A
little while after the beginning of the enterprise in 1882, before the active
participation of Mr. Simons in the business, there was added to the trade in
awnings, that in interior decorations generally, and the two departments
have grown side by side until to-day they possess an enormous market, and
various products of the factory are in use from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

While Mr. Simons had a great deal of his time occupied with his busi-
ness affairs, he nevertheless was not so much engaged but that he could
participate in many other branches of the city's life. He was for many years
a member of the old Volunteer Fire Department, which held a splendid
record in the safeguarding of the city before the introduction of the present
paid organization. He was also a prominent figure in the social and fra-
ternal life of Hartford, and a member of the Society of American Mechanics
and the Masonic order.

It has already been mentioned that Mr. Simons was married to Joseph-
ine L. Fox, of Hartford, and how important a part in his business career was
played by that lady. The wedding occurred on Christmas day in the year
1862, Mrs. Simons being the daughter of Horace and Louisa (Fox) Fox, old
residents of that city. The Fox family was an old and highly respected
Hartford family, and Mrs. Simons was born in Hartford. She was educated
at the Old Brown School on Market street, one of the landmarks of old Hart-
ford, and has many associations with the traditions of the city.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Simons were Baptists in religious belief, and for
many years members of the South Baptist Church. They were earnest
workers and generous givers in the cause of their church, aiding materially
in the support of its many benevolences. So valuable were his services that

(Deorge SDliticc Simons 415

upon his death a memorial was placed there in honor of his good Christian
life.

Mr. Simons was a fine type of citizen and the loss to the community-
occasioned by his death was a very real one. He combined in very happy
proportion the qualities of a practical business man with those of the public-
spirited altruist, whose thoughts are with the good of the community. It
was by his own efforts that he rose from the humble position of a worker in
an iron foundry to that of one of the city's successful merchants, and through
all that long and worthy career he never conducted his business so that it
was anything but a benefit to all his associates and to the city at large. He
was frank and outspoken, a man whose integrity was never called in ques-
tion, who could be and was trusted to keep the spirit as well as the letter of
every contract and engagement he entered into. He was possessed of true
democratic instincts, easy of access to all men and as ready to lend his ear to
the humblest as to the proudest and most influential. These qualities gave
him a host of admirers and friends from every rank and class in society.

Mr. Simons' connection with the Masonic order has been mentioned.
This was a very prominent one, and held an important place in his life, to the
extent that he had entered many of the special departments of Masonry.
Besides his membership in St. John's Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, he
belonged to Pythagoras Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; the Wolcott Council,
Royal and Select Masters; the Washington Commandery, Knights Templar;
the Ivanhoe Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star; and the Sphinx Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.

Herbert a. ^mttl)

ERBERT A. SMITH was born May 27, 1861, died September
14, 1913, making his age at the time of his death but a few
months over fifty-two years. His birthplace was Collinsville,
Connecticut, in which town he elected to pass all of his busy
life, finding, with Wilhelm Meister, that his Eldorado was
at home. His parents, too, had lived there all their lives,
his father, Franklin J. Smith, owning and operating a suc-
cessful drug store in the town, and his mother, before her marriage Miss
Mellissa Neal, being a member of an old and highly respected family in those
parts. Franklin J. Smith and his wife were the parents of three children, of
which our subject was the youngest, the others being William Smith, now a
resident of Hartford, and Cora, now Mrs. Cheeney Doane, of Collinsville,
Connecticut.

Herbert A. Smith grew up in his native town, attending as did all his
comrades, the local schools. After graduation from the Collinsville High
School he found employment in his father's drug establishment, where he
thoroughly learned the business. After a considerable period spent in the
employ of his father, the young man went temporarily to Derby, Connecti-
cut, but, returning after a short stay, purchased from William Zeitler, a drug
business on his own account. Mr. Zeitler had married a sister of Mrs. Her-
bert A. Smith, so that the business was kept in the family, as it were, and
Mr. Smith at once started to build it up to its present large proportions. He
continued to conduct this establishment up to the time of his death, but this
was by no means his only enterprise. In addition he opened a livery stable
which flourished practically from the outset and finally did a large and lucra-
tive business. A few years before his death he purchased the handsome
residence on Center street, Collinsville, in which Mrs. Smith still makes her
home.

Mr. Smith was twice married. His first wife was Miss Laura Sanburn,
who died leaving no children. His second marriage, which was celebrated
December 27, 1906, v/as with Mrs. Julia A. (Halden) Stickel, of Collinsville,
the widow of Julius Stickel, of that place. Before her marriage to Mr.
Stickel, Mrs. Smith was Miss Julia A. Halden, a daughter of A. J. and
Christine (Swanson) Halden, old and honorable residents of Bakersville,
Connecticut. Of her union with Mr. Smith was born one child, a son, Neil
Herbert Smith. Mrs. Smith survives her husband and now resides in the
house already mentioned in Collinsville.

Mr. Smith was a popular man in the region in which he was so success-
ful. The successes that he won had never been at the expense of others'
interests or rights. Keen to perceive and prompt to follow up his own
advantage, he never allowed his expectations to obscure his sympathy or
judgment in regard to those who, like himself, were running the race of life.
It was largely this characteristic of keeping his brotherhood with others
continually in mind that was accountable for his popularity and, perhaps,

l^er&ert a« ^mitft 417

indirectly, for his prosperity also. It made him popular because it made him
broad-minded and essentially democratic, a man among men, easy of
approach, candid and genial, neither overbearing to the small nor cringing
to the great, and in making him popular it invited men to deal with him, not
only as comrade w^ith comrade, but in business, since they felt sure that
here, at least, they would receive courtesy and fair dealing. He was perfectly
at home with his fellowmen, whether in conducting business afifairs, or pur-
suing the pleasures of society, but not less was he a delightful figure in his
family circle, in which he was pleased to relax from the more onerous tasks
of life, and this domestic instinct found expression not only in the pleasure
which he took in his home but in the relations which he maintained with his
entire household. He was a devoted husband and a loving father, not un-
wisely indulgent, but with ever the best advantage of all in his consideration.

coNN-voi ni-37

Hetote Clesson (Bvo\)tx

EWIS CLESSON GROVER, in whose death on September

30, 1909, the city of Hartford, Connecticut, lost one of its

most prominent citizens and the New England industrial

world a conspicuous figure, while not a native of that city,

coming from old Massachusetts stock, was, during the most

important part of his business career, identified closely

with Hartford industrial interests, and indeed with the life

of the city generally. His parents were Willard and Mary (Lewis) Grover,

old residents of Springfield, Massachusetts, where they occupied a high place

in the regard of the community.

Lewis Clesson Grover was himself a native of Springfield, having been
born there November 26, 1849, ^"d there passed his childhood and early
youth in the pursuit of an excellent education, which the first class schools
of his native city were amply prepared to give. He did not pursue his studies
beyond those offered by the grammar school, but turned his attention to
mechanical pursuits which from childhood had interested him. The youth
was apprenticed to a machinist in Norwalk, Connecticut, with whom he
remained three years, occupying his time to such good purpose that by the
end of his term he had mastered his craft and was able to take a position as
foreman with the Norwalk Iron Works. Before he had remained with this
company a year, it had become evident to his employers that the young man
was especially gifted in this line of work, and they were anxious to retain his
services. This they were not able to do, however, for more than three years,
for in the year 1880 he accepted a position as manager in the Whitney Arms
Company of New Haven, and removed to that city to take up his new
duties. These were of a decidedly responsible nature, but young Mr. Grover
proved himself fully equal to them despite his youth and comparative inex-
perience, and he remained in his position for a period of six years. It was
in the year 1886 that he finally came to Hartford, having accepted a position
as assistant superintendent with the great Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufac-
turing Company of that city. In the employ of this huge concern Mr.
Grover was rapidly advanced, taking in quick succession the offices of super-
intendent and general manager. During his incumbency of the latter posi-
tion, the presidency of the company was held by the late John H. Hall, with
whom Mr. Grover became closely associated, and he grew familiar with the
workings of the executive department of the concern. Early in the summer
of 1902 Mr. Hall died, and on July 8 of the same year Mr. Grover was elected
president of the great industry and member of the board of directors. In
addition to this he was also elected to the presidency of the Colts Arms
Company of New York, an allied concern of the Connecticut company.
Unfortunately Mr. Grover's health was not of the most robust order, and
the arduous duties in connection with his management of these great com-
panies, taken in conjunction with his labors for the city as a public ofiicer,
were too severe a tax upon his strength. He remained at his post, how-
ever, for nearly seven years, and it was not until the month of January,

JLetDfs Clesson <S5cotJer 419

1909, that he resigned as president of the two concerns. Simultaneously
with his resignation he was elected chairman of the board of directors, a
position which, while it still gave him a very prominent voice in matters of
general policy, released him from the consideration of much small and trying
detail. This position he retained until his death in the following September.

As has been remarked above, Mr. Grover's work was by no means con-
fined to the management of private business interests, however large and
important these might be. He was possessed of a great amount of public
spirit and watched with the keenest interest the conduct of the community's
affairs. He was a member of the Republican party and a strong supporter
of the principles and policies advocated thereby, though he always retained
his independence of partisan considerations in local affairs. His party was
not very long in recognizing his qualifications as a candidate and offered
him the nomination for a member of the Common Council of Hartford.
He was elected to that body from the old Fourth Ward, now the Seventh
Ward, and represented his district for a term, 1891 to 1892. On May 2, 1904,
he was elected a member of the Park Commission, his term to continue for
ten years, to succeed the late George H. Day. On May i, 1906, he was
elected vice-president of the board, and six months later, the death of the
president. Professor Henry Ferguson, left that office vacant and Mr. Grover
was elected to fill it. In 1907, however, he declined reelection to the office
that was offered him, for the same reason that he was still later obliged to
retire entirely from active life. He was very active in the city's interests
during his membership on the Park Commission, and it was during his term
that Colt Park was accepted by the city. It fell to his lot personally to
superintend the great improvements which were carried out upon that tract.

In addition to these many and onerous activities, Mr. Grover was a
prominent figure in the social and fraternal circles of the city, and belonged
to a number of important organizations, among which the following may be
named. He was a prominent member of the Masonic order and belonged to
Lafayette Lodge, No. 100, Free and Accepted Masons; Pythagoras Chapter,
Royal Arch Masons; Wolcott Council, Royal and Select Masters; Washing-
ton Commandery, Knights Templar; Pyramid Temple of the Mystic Shrine.
He was also a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers,
and of the Hatchetts Reef Club of Hartford.

Mr. Grover married, November 30, 1871, Ann E. Arnold, a native of
New Canaan, Connecticut, and a daughter of Edwin L. and Ann M. (God-
frey) Arnold, old residents of that place. To them was born one daughter,
Mabel, widow of Charles G. Huntington, of Hartford, Connecticut.

Lewis Clesson Grover was a man of strongly marked characteristics, a
strong personality, yet withal winning, so that he gathered a great host of
friends about him whose devotion was well proved. He was an indefatigable
worker, and one who had at heart the good of the community of which he
was a member, so that he labored faithfully in its interests. There can be
little doubt that he materially shortened his life by continuing faithful to his
many arduous duties, public and private, after his health had been impaired.
His death, which happened at the comparatively youthful age of sixty years,
was felt as a real loss not only by his immediate family and friends, but by
the entire community for which he had labored so long and faithfully, and
made so many sacrifices.

CJjarles Henrp (^arbtn

IMITATIONS OF TIME and space so formidable to the
imaginations of most men seem to play but a small part in
the thoughts of others whose enterprises spread themselves
over large areas and are apparently unconditioned by delays
and obstacles. The average man hesitates, and perhaps
w^ith wisdom, to engage in a multiplicity of ventures, espe-
cially if they be situated at any considerable distance from
the spot of earth he calls home. There are a fortunate few, however, who
are not so hesitant and who seem able to attend to whatever is of interest to
them though it were across a continent, finding only in that circumstance
an opportunity to indulge a taste for travel. Such was, in sober earnest, the
case with Charles Henry Garvin, whose death in the city of Hartford, Con-
necticut, December lo, 1912, deprived that place of one of its most valued
citizens, and who, though his domicile was indeed in that Connecticut city,
had interests in which he was active in many parts of the United States.

Charles Henry Garvin was a native of Maine, having been born in the
town of Shapleigh, December 27, 1862, a son of John N. and Ellen (Pills-
bury) Garvin, old and respected residents of that place. In early youth he
attended the excellent local schools and later was sent to Boston to prepare
himself for practical life in a business college. He had already displayed
the great energy and capacity for work which were so remarkable in after
life and which had brought him into the notice of his instructors. Upon
completing his studies in this institution, he first went to the town of Chel-
sea. Massachusetts, where he quickly secured a position as a clerk in a store.
Here he did very well, but already the enterprising nature of the man had
begun to assert itself and he soon left the place to seek a larger field for his
endeavors. He returned for a time to Boston, where he had spent the later
years of his school life, and there worked for a time, but eventually returned
to his native town upon an ofifer from his father that he should operate a
saw mill in that location. The Garvin family owned large lumber interests
in that part of Maine, and the young man prospered admirably in his new
occupation. This did not satisfy his ambitions, however, and he ever kept
upon the lookout for better things. At length, after a number of years, he
removed to Hartford, Connecticut, which thereafter was his home to the
end of his life, and there entered into business in association with the firm
of Cummings & Daniels, large dealers in hay, grain, etc. The second member
of the firm, Mr. Daniels, was considering retirement from business and Mr.
Garvin shortly afterwards purchased his interest in the business, the firm
continuing to operate under the style of Cummings & Garvin. Mr. Garvin,
as time went on, grew more and more into the active management of the
concern and it was in no small degree due to his capable management that
the trade grew to its present great proportions. But though the powers of
most men would have been tasked plentifully by the duties of management
of this establishment, the unusual energies of Mr. Garvin were shortly on
the quest of further occupation. His foresight, no whit behind his energy,

Cf)atlc0 IDentp aartiin 421

soon pointed out to Mr. Garvin the opportunity for safe and remunerative
investment offered by the increasing real estate values in and about Hart-
ford, and accordingly he set about a judicious purchase of property in those
regions, w^here prices seemed to be rising most surely. The event proved the
accuracy of his judgment and he gradually became the owner of many valu-
able tracts, and parcels of land both within the city limits and in the adjoin-
ing region. His experience showing him the wisdom of this kind of invest-
ment, he rapidly began to extend his purchases, not only beyond the immedi-
ate neighborhood, but even beyond the boundaries of the State, as well as
into the prosperous towns thereof. Among the New England towns in
which he had holdings of real estate should be especially remarked those of
Lyme and Grove Beach, Connecticut, in which places much of the real
estate that he owned still remains in the hands of his family.

Although a strong Republican in politics and a man of such prominence
in the city that his confreres recognized in him a possible public officer, such
was the extent of Mr. Garvin's interests and such was the necessity of his
absenting himself from the city for considerable periods, that he never
allowed himself to become interested in politics other than as a private
citizen, nor allied himself to the local party organization. Socially he was
very well known and much liked in Hartford and belonged to a number of
organizations, notably to Hartford Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons. In
the matter of religion he was affiliated with the Baptist church, and during
his long membership was an indefatigable worker in its interests.

On February i, 1876, Mr. Garvin was united in marriage with Lena
Bird, a native of Chelsea, Massachusetts, and a daughter of Captain H. T.
and Annie (Garland) Bird, old and highly respected residents of that place.
Mrs. Garvin's father. Captain Bird, was one of the famous old Massachu-
setts skippers, who have made the seamanship of America proverbial over
a large portion of the world. He ran, for a long time, a line of packets be-
tween New York and Boston, but he took many more extended voyages and,
indeed, sailed around the world a number of times. To Mr. and Mrs. Garvin
were born five children, as follows: Ethel, now Mrs. Earl E. Foot, of Port-
land, Oregon; Rena Edna, now Mrs. Rupert Porter, of Chicago, Illinois;
Nellie, who became the wife of Vernon Bodwell, of Sanford, Maine; Leslie,
who married Dwight Phelps and now resides with her mother in Hartford ;
and Harold, a resident of Chicago.

The unusual activity of Mr. Garvin was the outward expression of a
most energetic and powerful nature within, which gave him a leading place
among his associates in whatever department of life he was placed. He was
a man of wide interests and sympathies, a cosmopolitan, at home wherever
fortune placed him, and this found reflection in his taste for travel, which the
wide distribution of his business interests enabled him to gratify in a great
degree. A man of his powers and attainments could not fail to exercise a
strong and definite influence upon the community, and the beneficent char-
acter thereof was insured by his possession of the private and public virtues
in very large measure. A public-spirited citizen, a faithful comrade and
friend, a devoted husband and parent, Mr. Garvin was held in the most
general admiration and afl^ection and his death was marked by a general
sense of loss.

aaufus iBiutting ^ratt

IKi

MERICA LEADS THE world in inventions. The many
mechanical devices that have revolutionized trade and busi-
ness during the last half century largely owe their existence
to the ingenuity and skill of American men. The late Rufus
Nutting Pratt, of Hartford, Connecticut, was not alone an
inventive genius, but he was the founder of the Pratt & Cady
Company, which has a world-wide reputation, and whose
wares cannot be excelled.

The Pratt family is an ancient one. We find the name among the
earliest English family records, before the year 1200, this indicating that
the family came with the Normans to England. John Pratt, or de Pratellis,
or de Pratis, as then generally spelled, held the Manor of Parrickborne
(Merton Bridge and Pelham Hundred) in 1200. Four brothers — John,
William, Engebraw and Peter de Pratellis — figured prominently in the
reign of Richard I. and John, all living in 1201. In 1191 William and Peter
Pratt both made a gallant record in the Crusade John Pratt was in Parlia-
ment from Beverly in 1298 and 1305. Before the year 1300 the family was
well known and widely scattered through England, and the shortened form
of the name, Prat, was the common spelling. The other forms — Pratte,
Pradt, Praed, Prete, Prate, Praer, Prayers — are also found. The surname
means meadow, and was a place name before it was a surname.

Rufus Nutting Pratt was born in Windsor, Vermont, March 7, 1833, and
died at his home on Sigourney street, Hartford, Connecticut, from a stroke
of apoplexy, June 3. 1901. He was a son of Nathaniel M. and Euphemia
(Nutting) Pratt, the former a prominent leather merchant of his day, and
they were the parents of an older son, Francis A. Pratt, founder of the well-
known Pratt & Whitney Company. Rufus N. Pratt spent the days of his
early youth in the city of Lowell, Massachusetts, whither his parents had
removed. After the completion of his education, and when he had gained a
certain amount of business experience, Mr. Pratt went to Philadelphia and
there engaged in the leather business, with which he was successfully identi-
fied in that city until 1876, when he removed to Hartford, Connecticut, and
there commenced the line of business which he carried on under the firm
name of Pratt & Cady for many years. He was the founder of that concern,
and in its interests traveled extensively in Europe, selling the company's
output. In later years, when the firm was reorganized, Mr. Pratt, who had
held high official position, resigned from this, severing his connection with
that company. In the meantime he had organized the Johns-Pratt Com-
pany, for the manufacture of specialties, more particularly electric acces-
sories, this proving an enormously successful venture, and when his partner,
Mr. Johns, a New York business man, died, Mr. Pratt continued as a director
of the concern until his sudden death. On the morning of the day he died he
was apparently in his usual state of health, and was preparing to go to his
business, when he was suddenly stricken and fell to the floor. Not long after-

Kufus Ji^uttinff I^tatt 423

ward he had passed to his eternal rest, deeply regretted by all with whom he
had been associated. His religious affiliation was with the Asylum Avenue
Baptist Church, of which he was a member, and to whose support he was
a liberal contributor. He took no personal part in the public afifairs of the
community, contenting himself with casting his vote, and preferred to give
his entire time and attention to his business afifairs, and thus, indirectly,
increase the prosperity and development of the city.

Mr. Pratt married, in Philadelphia. February 13, 1854, Frances E.
Giddings, also now deceased, and they are survived by a daughter, Harriett
G. Mr. Pratt was a man of highly cultivated mind, an ardent student of the
best literature, and devoted to the art of music. One of his chief forms of
recreation was travel, and his daughter frequently accompanied him on these
trips. His tours were always carefully planned, and he was always the
possessor of a fund of information concerning the places he was about to
visit, so that he was a most delightful traveling companion. His daughter
is a most capable woman of business, and in more recent years acted as
attorney for her father. He was of a most charitable nature, and while he
was frequently deceived in the characters of the recipients of his bounty, this
fact never lessened his charitable inclinations, nor deterred him in the be-
stowal of his charity.

dEbtoart Clarfe (S^ooDtotn

DWARD CLARK GOODWIN was born in Litchfield, Con-
necticut, in 1825. His father, Oliver Goodwin, was the son
of George Goodwin, of Hartford, who was for many years a
publisher of the "Connecticut Courant." His mother,
Clarissa (Leavitt) Goodwin, was the daughter of a cele-
brated Revolutionary officer.

Mr. Goodwin attended school in Hartford. In 1849 he
went to California in a sailing vessel. After a six month's voyage around
Cape Horn, he reached his destination and found that his brother, Henry
L. Goodwin, was there awaiting him, that he had taken the shorter route
across the isthmus and was then engaged as a civil engineer in laying out
streets in San Francisco. The city was then little more than a collection of
tents and shanties; there were few of the comforts of civilized life, but the
greatest need was that of pure water; the springs were so alkaline that the
men put in alum to make the water fit to drink. A Douglas pump was found
on one of the ships, and the brothers, Henry L. and Edward C, succeeded
after much labor in driving a well and obtaining a supply of good water.
Men were kept pumping night and day, the water was carried about the city
in carts and retailed by the bucket full, and for a year or two this was San
Francisco's only water supply. All sorts and conditions of men were found
in this early company ; the cook, an unknown and mysterious Englishman,
used to read Virgil and Horace in the original Latin.

About 1854 Mr. Goodwin returned to Litchfield, Connecticut, where for
a time he was editor and publisher of the "Litchfield Engineer." In 1858 he
married Matilda Coddington, of New York. His winters were spent in that
city, but a house known as the Homestead was built upon the Hudson near
Kingston, New York. Here while living the life of a farmer, it was his
delight to fill his house with guests, many of them young people, the com-
panions of his boys. His visitors will not soon forget the long drives and
excursions in the Catskill Mountains, of which he was the enthusiastic
leader, nor the pleasant home readings and talks on books, nor the readings
of tales and verses of his own creating, of which there were many. Country
life always had a great charm for Mr. Goodwin, and not infrequently in the
winter did he steal away from the city to the farm, happy there in the com-
panionship of his books, dogs and horses.

His wife, Matilda (Coddington) Goodwin, died in 1900, and later he
married Alice Howland Goodwin, of Hartford. Several months were spent
in California, where old friends and the scenes of early life were revisited,
while with great interest was noted the growth and development of that
fair land. Upon his return east he settled in Hartford. No longer strong
enough for an active life, he greatly enjoyed daily drives in the beautiful
country around Hartford, while many hours at home were spent writing
stories of the older time, and the characters became very real to him as he
followed their fates, and he would be moved to tears or laughter. This was

(ZBDtoatD Clark ©ooDtoin 425

not done for publication, but for his own diversion, and to fill the need he
felt for employment. In Hartford as elsewhere his hospitality was a noted
trait. Mr. Goodwin died after a short illness in October, 1907, aged eighty-
three. Two sons survived him. His was a quiet, genial and unselfish life.
He was a Christian and a gentleman, pure minded and fearless for what he
deemed the right. He had much humor and a ready wit with a love for
versification, and a volume of his verses was published for private circula-
tion among his friends.

His life was in strong contrast to that of his brother, Henry L. Goodwin,
who spent days in fighting for what he deemed were the rights of the people
concerning the railroads, and for postal reform. He was the originator of
the special delivery stamp and had much to do with the establishment of
rural delivery.

The following lines from the pen of Mr. Goodwin afiford an insight of
the beauty of his character:

ARE NOT TWO SPARROWS SOLD FOR A FARTHING?

Last night afar I heard a bluebird singing,

The south wind woke, and brought the brooklet's flow
And near our gate, its tale of summer bringing,

Leaved a first violet by a bank of snow.

I stooped, and would have plucked the tender firstling,
And borne it home, a trophy of the year ;

When to my breast, as from the gentle nursling,
Came a low voice in words distinctly clear.

For I o'er worldly losses sore was grieving.

And Hope and Faith had wandered from my side,

So that I walked in shadows half believing

There was no God, no Heaven, no Glorified.

It was the story of birds homeward flying ;

Of flowers that toil not or their garments spin:
A sweet, calm voice upon the soft wind sighing

Saying "O man, hast thou forgotten Him ?

Who on the hillside in wise lessons blended
The tale of nature with His wayside talk,

The sparrow's value which the Father tended,
The lily bending on its fragile stalk?"

And still the bluebird, through the dark clouds steering.
Calls from afar, tho' wild the tempest blow.

And the fair violet, its carol hearing,

Smiles and awakens, fearing not the snow.

'Hast thou less faith than nature's gentle nurslings.

Who bare their bosoms to the spring's first breath?

Read then the story of their tender firstlings —
Nor fear the conflict of thy life or death."

426 (iBDtoatD Clark (SooDtoin

SOWING AND REAPING.

Though I may never gather the fruit

From the sunny orchard I plant with care,
Or watch the leaf from its calyx short,

Or the branches sway in the summer air,
I will set the roots with believing hand

And the soil about them carefully till ;
For though I may never gather the fruit,

It is very certain that some one will.

And here, some day, will its greenery yield

A place for the robin to build and nest,
When the cattle shall wander over the field

And lay them down in their summer rest ;
And though I may never sit in the shade

Or watch the cattle stray over the hill,
Or see the nest that the robin made.

It is very certain that some one will.

Then let me plant with believing heart.

That year by year will the branches grow.
And the young buds swell, and the blossoms start

Till the sunny orchard is white as snow ;
And though I may never see the crown

It shall wear when the summer day is still.
Or watch it shattered by south winds strown

It is very certain that some one will.

And many a pleasant Harvest home.

When fruit is mellow, shall children keep ;
And down the road will the wagons come.

When the master's hand has been long asleep.
Still let him plant with believing heart.

And set the roots with generous skill,
For though he may never gather the fruit,

It is very certain that some one will.

O friends, dear friends, let us sow and reap,

Nor stay the hand tho' the sun is low.
But remember how once it rose up from the deep

And made our hearts glad in the long-ago ;
And that we are richer for those who wrought,

'Till the night stole in and the pulse grew still.
Who sail, though we may not gather the fruit.

It is very certain that some one will.

JBensloto €. alien

'HEN THE LIFE of such a man as the late Denslow E. Allen,
of Manchester, Connecticut, comes to a close, its influence
does not cease, for it was so ordered as to redound in abund-
ant blessings to those with whom he came in contact, and
set in motion forces which will continue to make for the
good of the locality honored by his residence. For he was a
man who, while laboring for his own advancement, never
neglected his general duties as a neighbor and a citizen. He was public-
spirited, assisting in every good movement for his city and county, and took
great pride in the growth of both. He was a man of decided humanitarian
impulses and his charitable acts were numerous, although few save the
recipients were aware of the extent of his bounty. He was socially inclined
and friendly, genial and uniformly courteous, so that he was a favorite with
all classes wherever he was known. Persistent industry, close attention to
his business affairs and absolute integrity in all his dealings, were the key-
notes to the success which followed his business efforts. He was very
domestic in his tastes, and no place was as dear to him as his own home,
where he spent the happiest hours of his life. He was of an optimistic dis-
position, never allowing himself to become discouraged by adverse con-
ditions, and in this way cheered up those with whom he was called upon to
associate.

Denslow E. Allen, son of Elijah and Sarah Giles (Robinson) Allen, was
born in Vernon, Tolland county, Connecticut, about 1845, ^.nd died October
8, 1895. His boyhood years were spent in his native town, where he
attended the public schools, and acquired a sound and practical education.
Upon the completion of his education he was apprenticed to learn the bakers'
and confectioners' trade, and followed this for a considerable period of time.
Subsequently he went to Manchester, Hartford county, Connecticut, where
he formed a business association with the late Charles B. Andrus, acting in
the capacity of manager of his hotel for many years, and displaying admir-
able executive ability in this responsible position. He became a prominent
figure in the business and social life of Manchester, and was widely known,
no affair of importance being considered complete without him.

Mr. Allen married Julia C. Andrus, a daughter of the Charles B. Andrus
mentioned above, and his wife, Abbie (Williams) Andrus, and a grand-
daughter of John Williams, who in his day was a large land owner in Rock-
ville, Connecticut, and later traded his holdings there for a valuable farm in
Tolland county, Connecticut. After the death of her father, Mrs. Allen, who
is a woman of remarkable business capacity, as well as of much social charm,
made large purchases of real estate and developed these to the best advan-
tage, greatly increasing their original value.

Charles B. Andrus, son of Daniel and Sarah T. Andrus, was born in
Wallington, and died in Manchester, Connecticut, when he had almost
rounded out his seventy-ninth year. He acquired his school education in his

428 Densloto (2. alien

native town, and was a lad of fourteen years when he came with his parents
to Manchester, with which town his future life was identified. His father
had acquired an excellent reputation as a carpenter and builder, but Charles
B. did not care especially to follow this line of industry. As he had always
been fond of horses, it was but natural that he should drift into this line of
business, and find employment in a livery stable. So congenial did he
find this employment that he continued it, later being the first man in
Manchester to own a livery stable, which he conducted successfully for
many years. For a time he conducted Bucks Hotel, at Oakland, and later
the Cowles Hotel. When he withdrew from the conduct of this he opened a
saloon in his own building, at the corner of North Main and North School
streets, with which he was successfully identified for more than thirty years,
and until it was destroyed by fire. In the course of time he had become the
owner of a large amount of real property in Manchester and its suburbs.
The last five years of his life were spent in comparative quiet and retire-
ment. After the destruction of his business by fire, he made his home with
his sister, Mrs. Ada Fargo, on Parker street, away from his friends and the
busy, bustling life to which he had been accustomed. Although his friends
called upon him frequently, he missed them greatly, and he was a familiar
sight on the streets of Manchester with his favorite horse, and seated in the
old fashioned phaeton, which had been built especially for him, as he was
an extraordinarily large and heavy man. It was pleasant to listen to Mr.
Andrus relate his experiences and recollections of earlier days, as he had a
wonderful memory, was well versed in historical facts, and was an excellent
conversationalist. For a year prior to his death he had been in ill health,
and for the last six months of this period had been confined to his bed. He
did not, however, realize that his illness would have a fatal termination, until
a few hours before he passed away, and he was unconscious toward the last.
The only immediate members of his family to survive him were his daughter
and his sister. Three of his four brothers went west in early manhood, and
as nothing had been heard from them in thirty years it is to be presumed
that they are no longer in the land of the living; a fourth brother, Dr. George
Andrus, returned to Manchester in recent years, and also died at the home of
his sister, Mrs. Fargo. Mr. Andrus was buried in Buckland Cemetery, Rev.
W. F. Taylor, of the North Methodist Church, officiating at the funeral
services.

Samuel J^etoton ?ffilooli{)ouse

AMUEL NEWTON WOODHOUSE, in whose death on
October 29, 1913, the town of Wethersfield, Connecticut,
lost one of its leading citizens, was a member of the dis-
tinguished family of that name which has made Wethers-
field its home since pre-Revolutionary times. The Wood-
houses in general and Samuel Newton Woodhouse in par-
ticular have exhibited since they settled in the region of
Wethersfield those sterling and stalwart traits of mind and body that have
made the New Englander proverbially successful and dominant wherever
he appears on the face of the earth. From the immigrant ancestor, Joseph
Woodhouse, who came from his native Bristol in old England early in the
eighteenth century in company with his sister Dorothy and settled in
Wethersfield, Connecticut, down to the children of Samuel Newton Wood-
house, who represent the line to-day, the members of the family have been
strong, courageous and capable men and women, choosing their careers
from many different departments of activity, but uniformly successful in
them all, and uniformly high-minded and faithful to their ideals of truth
and virtue. From the time of Samuel Woodhouse, the original Joseph's
son, that name has been handed down in unbroken sequence until the eldest
son of our subject is the sixth to bear it consecutively.

The first Samuel Woodhouse was an ardent patriot during the Revo-
lutionary period and the time of stress and peril which culminated in that
momentous struggle, and although he was too advanced in years to take as
active a part as his inclination urged him to, he nevertheless lived to see its
successful termination, while his sons distinguished themselves in the patriot
service. Descended from him were three Samuels consecutively, the great-
grandfather, grandfather and father respectively of the Samuel Newton
Woodhouse who forms the subject of this sketch. The first of these was the
owner of large tracts of land in the neighborhood of Wethersfield, wealthy
and home-loving and much beloved by his neighbors, but his son Samuel
was of a peculiarly adventurous and courageous nature to whom the quiet
country life of his ancestors appealed not at all. Accordingly he went to sea
before the mast and there among the rough but simple seamen his dominant
character and quick intelligence speedily asserted themselves, and he was
raised from rank to rank until he became master of a vessel while still com-
paratively a young man. He was a man in the prime of life when he lost his
life in a storm which wrecked his ship. His only child, Samuel, the father of
our subject, did not follow the sea as his father had done, but returned to the
rural life of his earlier progenitors, and became a very successful farmer and
was highly respected in Wethersfield, where he was chosen selectman for
several years by his fellow-townsmen. He holds the distinction of being one
of the first to introduce tobacco culture in Hartford county, where it now
forms such an important industry. He was married to Mary A. Blinn, of

430 Samuel i^etoton moonhomt

Griswoldville, who bore him four children, three daughters and one son,
Samuel Newton Woodhouse.

Samuel Newton Woodhouse was born in the old family home at Weth-
ersfield. His grandfathers on both sides of the house had been well known
sea captains and he appears to have inherited something of their enterprising
spirit, though it did not take the same direction or lead him to face the perils
of the deep. In his boyhood he received that training which has produced
so many of the strong men of his native region, but which is unfortunately
coming to be the lot of fewer and fewer of the youth of America. This is
the training of the farm which unites wholesome work with healthy recre-
ation, develops that strength and perseverance of character necessary in
working in alliance with the great and slow processes of nature, and fosters
simplicity through the intimate contact with these processes which it in-
volves. He attended the local public schools for a time and there gained
the elementary portion of his education. He was later sent away to the
Waterbury High School at Waterbury, Connecticut, where he boarded away
from home and pursued his studies to great advantage for some time. He
prepared for a college course and afterwards matriculated at McGill Univer-
sity. After completing his studies Mr. Woodhouse secured employment as
a traveling salesman for Johnson & Robbins, large dealers in seeds at Weth-
ersfield, and for two years followed this occupation, his field being through-
out New England. He thus became familiar with the geography of much of
his native region. At the end of two years, however, he was obliged to
return to his old home in Wethersfield, as his father's health began to fail
and it was necessary that he should take charge of the affairs there. Espe-
cially was this necessary in the case of the farming operations which were
carried on on a large scale and needed the direction of a strong and active
man. Mr. Woodhouse at once assumed control from then and up to the time
of his death gave his time and energy to the advancement of agriculture in
Connecticut. He specialized in dairy farming, fruit raising and in tobacco
culture, and was eminently successful in all these crops. His peach and
apple orchards alone cover more than ten acres between them, and all his
cultivation was on a corresponding scale. After he had successfully cul-
tivated his farm for some years he made the discovery of an entirely unsus-
pected source of wealth existing on his land. This was in the form of a
spring of unusual purity and strength of flow. He was quick to see the
opportunity ofi^ered by this abundant supply of fine water, and to avail him-
self of it. He started at once to organize a company with a number of cap-
italists and succeeded in forming the Griswoldville Water Company which
now supplies practically the whole village with water.

Mr. Woodhouse was a member of the Republican party and an ardent
supporter of its principles and policies, but of an independent mind, had
thought much for himself on the political issues of his time and arrived at
his conclusions without regard for partisan considerations. His sincerity
and open-mindedness were so apparent that political lines and differences
were no barriers to his friendships, many of which were numbered among
the ranks of the opponents politically. His popularity was not overlooked
by the local Republican organization in their search for available candidates.

Samuel Jl3etoton COooDftouse 431

and in 1898 he was offered the party nomination to the State Legislature.
Although Mr. Woodhouse was far from being a politician, or from the desire
for public office, preferring rather to exert such influence as he might in his
capacity as a private citizen, he would not refuse what was so evidently a
popular demand for him on the part of his townsmen, and accordingly made
a successful race for the office, which he held for that term to the eminent
satisfaction of his constituents and fellow-citizens generally.

Mr. Woodhouse was affiliated with the Congregational church, and,
although liberal in his religious views, was a staunch supporter of the church
and the cause of religion generally. He was faithful in his attendance at
divine service, and took an active part in the work of the congregation and
materially supported the many benevolences connected therewith. He was
a conspicuous figure in social and fraternal circles, and was especially promi-
nent in the Masonic order, being a Mason of the thirty-second degree. He
was also a member of the Wethersfield Grange.

On October 24, 1877, at Guilford, Connecticut, Mr. Woodhouse was
married to Elvira Dudley, a daughter of William and Mary (Chitenden)
Dudley, old residents of that place. To Mr. and Mrs. Woodhouse were
born four children, as follows: Samuel Dudley, a graduate of Yale Univer-
sity, who married Edith Jonas, of Boston, by whom he has had two chil-
dren, Samuel — the seventh to bear that name — and William, the boys being
twins; James Merriman, who married Alice Cameron, of Hartford, and is
now a resident of Wethersfield; William Dudley, who died June 7, 1912, at
the age of twenty-seven years; David Robbins, who married Mabel Burwell,
of Winsted, Connecticut, and is now a resident in Wethersfield. Mr. Wood-
house is survived by his wife and three of his sons.

Samuel Newton Woodhouse was a man whose character united in itself
many happy and some apparently contradictory traits. A man of shrewd
opinions and unusually keen insight into human character and motives, he
saw at a glance the foibles and weakness of those he associated with, yet
such was his breadth of sympathy that he condemned no man. If men felt
his keen insight, they also felt his charity which removed all sting from the
former, and gave them a sense of security in his presence. He was, in short,
one of those rare characters who distinguish between the sin and the sinner,
condemning sternly the former, but full of tolerance for the latter. On
himself he was not so easy. He laid down a high standard of ethics for his
own guidance and schooled himself strictly to abide by its demands. His
capacity for business was great, but he was as strict in all business relations
as in those of private life, and established an enviable reputation for himself
for integrity and trustworthiness throughout the region. In those more
public relations also, involved in his official activities, he maintained the
same high standard of disinterested service, and strict regard for his high
trust. His death was a very real loss, not only to his immediate family and
friends but to the community at large, which had received benefit from his
many activities.

aaotolanli ^totft

:UT FEW DEPARTMENTS of business activity present in
their records a greater number of names held in general
reverence and admiration than that of banking, and espe-
cially is this true in New England w^here, among those con-
nected v^ith the development of this so essential activity, we
find so many splendid men, men who have stood for progress
and advance in all that has meant their communities' wel-
fare. Among such there is no name better known or more highly honored
than that of the late Rowland Swift, president of the American National
Bank of Hartford, Connecticut, whose death in that city in 1902, at the ad-
vanced age of about sixty-nine years, deprived it, and the whole State, of one
of the leading citizens thereof, and the business world of one of its most
influential and venerable figures.

Rowland Swift was born in Mansfield, Connecticut, February 22, 1834,
a member of an ancient and prominent family of that region, and the son
of Earl and Laura (Ripley) Swift, residents there. The father was well
known as Dr. Earl Swift, a graduate of Yale University, or College, as it was
then, with the class of 1805. Rowland Swift spent the first sixteen years of
his life in his native town and during that time devoted his time to gaining
an excellent education in the local schools, a task in which his early ambi-
tions rendered him very precocious in accomplishing. When he was but
sixteen years of age he brought an end to his schooling and, leaving the
paternal home, made his way to Hartford. This was in the year 1840 and
the youth, bright of manner, and alert of mind, was not long in securing a
position as clerk in the store of Joseph Langdon. a successful merchant of
the city at that time. After two years spent in this capacity he had an oppor-
tunity to become a clerk in the Hartford County Bank, as it was then called,
and thus began an association which was to last him the remainder of his
life and proved of such great value to the institution. The growth of the
bank seemed to keep pace with the advance of Mr. Swift in rank, which,
indeed, was speedy, as the talents he displayed were of a marked order and
quickly gained him the favorable notice of his superiors, the officers of the
concern. He was promoted from time to time from one clerical position to
another, until in 1854, twelve years after entermg the bank, he was elected
cashier thereof and at once began to take a very active share in its manage-
ment. In 1865 the Hartford County Bank became the American National
of Hartford and a new era of prosperity and importance began. Six years
later, 1871, Mr. Swift was elected president, an office which he continued to
hold until his death and the duties of which he continued actively to fulfill
until a few weeks from that event. He was the oldest bank president in
the city, and his service with the institution he had so long been associated
with had lasted since its earliest days, just subsequent to its organization.
He witnessed, therefore, practically its whole career and played a very im-
portant part in the direction of the greater portion of the same. But it was

CiotolanD ^toift 433

not merely in his capacity as banker that Mr. Swift was prominent in the
life of his adopted city. There were but few movements for its advance-
ment of any great moment that he was not connected with in some manner,
and to many he gave not only his countenance as patron, but his time and
energies in the active management of their affairs. Among the other busi-
ness concerns with which he was connected were the Society for Savings of
Hartford, of which he was the trustee, and the firm of Pratt & Whitney
engaged in the manufacturing business, in which he had a large interest.

Outside of the business realm altogether he was equally active and held
many important offices in the educational and philanthropic institutions of
the region. Among these should be mentioned the Hartford Theological
Seminary, of the board of trustees of which he was the senior member; and
the Watkinson Library of References of which he was the treasurer. He
was also a director of the Retreat for the Insane and of the School for the
Deaf in Hartford, and was the prime mover in the founding of the Repub-
lican Club of the city. Politically he was a staunch upholder of the principles
and policies for which the Republican party stood, but although his promi-
nence and personal popularity would have made him a strong candidate, and
his powers a most valuable public service in well nigh any office to which he
might have been elected, yet his naturally retiring disposition caused him to
shrink from that particular kind of activity, and this conjoined with the
exacting nature of his many occupations caused him to remain aloof from
that more active realm of politics in which, nevertheless, his talents were
eminently fitted to have made him conspicuous. He was a man of strong
religious feelings and beliefs, and more than most men he modeled his
conduct upon the teachings of his church. He was for many years identified
with the Center Congregational Church, of Hartford, and held the office
of deacon therein for a considerable period. He was always most active in
the work of the church and was a very material support to many of the
benevolences connected therewith.

Mr. Swift was united in marriage with Sarah B. Gillett, of Rome, New
York, in 1855. Mrs. Swift was a daughter of Norman and Jane (Shep-
pard) Gillett, of New York State. Three children were born to them, as
follows: Robert, who died in infancy; Howard R., who died in the year
1889, and Mary, who died in the year 1901. She became the wife of Pro-
fessor Arthur L. Gillett, and to them were born : Edward Bates, died at the
age of five; Robert Swift, of Hartford ; Frederick Webster, of Hartford, Con-
necticut.

Rowland Swift came of a long-lived race. He was one of ten children
and the youngest, yet, notwithstanding the advanced age he attained, he is
survived by a brother. General Frederick W. Swift, a resident of Detroit,
Michigan. And while his years were many he retained his faculties and
powers in a remarkable degree to the end. His death is characteristic of
him in many particulars, in that it was only the last extremity that forced
him to give up his normal activities and wonted manner of life. It was
from Bright's disease that his death finally resulted, yet it was only two weeks
before the end that he remained at home and a still shorter period, measured

CONN-VoI III-28

434

BotolanD ^toitt

in days only, that he was confined to his bed. This amazing vigor and vitality
was his possession throughout life and marked all that he did. The whole
city felt the force of his influence and gave him unreserved admiration and
praise that it was always a beneficent one. The institutions with which he
was directly connected were without exception successful, and it is beyond
question that they owed a great measure of their prosperity to his masterly
direction and clear foresight. His virtue was not less than his ability and his
name deserves to be, and doubtless will remain, an example for posterity of
the duties of the citizen, the husband, the parent and the man, well and
honorably performed.

3(o0epl) Hagartp

T IS RARE, indeed, to find among those who have been given
pnblic duties to perform, our public officials, servants of the
people as they are designated in a democracy, to find a sense
of duty and obligation so strong that it overcomes self inter-
est to the point of high and altruistic self sacrifice. Self seek-
ing, greed and corruption are so much the common thing
that we are disposed to congratulate ourselves with consider-
able fervor when we happen upon one who does not crudely abuse and
exploit the people at large in his own interests and who subordinates his
personal ends to those of the community. But when this is carried to the
point where not only interest in its usual sense is involved, but leisure, health
and even life itself is offered up as a sacrifice upon the altar of public duty,
we are apt to be far less than adequate in our thanks and praises, surprised,
perhaps, by so unwonted a spectacle into a temporary inertia. Such a career
was actually that of Joseph Hagarty, of Hartford, Connecticut, where he
was born, who gave his time and energies to his work so unreservedly that
he died a victim to his indefatigable efforts for the public health, September
lo, 191 5, when but forty-six years of age.

Joseph Hagarty was born in Hartford, November 28, 1868, a son of
Patrick and Margaret (Dowd) Hagarty, of Dublin, Ireland. He received
his rather brief schooling in the excellent local schools, but was forced by
hard conditions to abandon his studies early and seek a means of earning his
own livelihood. He was still a mere lad when he secured employment in the
grocery store of Patrick Kehoe. He remained in this establishment for a
number of years working his way up to more responsible positions and in the
meantime making himself master of the details of the business. He became,
indeed, something of an expert on food stuffs, their qualities, various adul-
terations, etc., and could detect with precision and speed any variations
from the standard commodity. Upon the death of Mr. Kehoe the estate to
which his business descended requested Mr. Hagarty to take charge of it as
manager, and this he did for a time until everything was settled. His con-
scientious attention to duty had already made its appearance in this, his
first position of trust, and his employers were not slow in noting it and
taking advantage of his rare integrity and sense of honor. At length, when
he felt that he could do so without hurting the interests of the Kehoe
estate, he severed this connection and engaged in the grocery business on his
own account, opening an establishment on the corner of Front and Grove
streets. He did not continue this very long, however, as he received the
managership of the large grocery and provision store of P. S. Kennedy on
the corner of Main and Morgan streets, an offer he at once accepted, the
business being a large and well established one. Here he remained until the
years 1907, which marked the opening of his public career in connection with
the Health Department. It was at this time that the department decided
to appoint a food inspector whose duties should be to keep a supervising eye

436 3losgpl) l^agartp

upon the general food supply of the city for the purpose of detecting non-
compliances with the law and safeguarding the public health from this
prolific source of danger. Mr. Hagarty's skill and integrity were well known
in the city and the post was offered to him, and at once accepted. Mr.
Hagarty appreciated fully the great responsibilities of his position and at
once threw himself heart and soul into the performance of his new duties,
keeping the ideal of a perfectly healthy city ever before him as the end to be
attained. His choice was a fortunate one for the community for his efforts
were extremely successful, and much of the result of ignorance was done
away with. However, the field was an enormous one, and as it developed
a large amount of detail was involved, and the Health Department found
it would be necessary to divide up the duties somewhat, and accord-
ingly Mr. Hagarty was placed in charge of the milk supply as milk
inspector, that so vital element in the nourishment and health of the people
being entrusted entirely to his care. Never did anyone more fully live up to
the task undertaken by him, never more completely fill a trust. Up early
and late, he was forever pursuing evidences leading to cases of careless or
deliberate neglect and one by one removing now this, now that menace to
the city. So indefatigable were his efforts that his health gradually broke
down under them, but he would not cease, though counselled to, feeling so
strongly as he did his obligation to the city. Finally his failing health cul-
minated in positive disease which after a course of several weeks resulted in
his untimely death.

Mr. Hagarty was a man of strong social tastes and before his duties
became of so exacting a character, had played a prominent part in this side
of the city's life. He belonged to a number of clubs and other organizations
among which should be mentioned Olympia Camp, Modern Woodmen of
America; Court Ericsson, Foresters of America, and the Second Division,
Ancient Order of Hibernians. In religion Mr. Hagarty was a Roman Cath-
olic and a very devout one. His faith had been handed down to him from his
ancestors and in turn he has passed it on to his children. He was all his life a
member of St. Peter's Catholic Church in Hartford and took an active part
in the work of the parish, being a member of the Holy Name Society and
supporting materially the charities in connection with the church.

On October 7, 1891, Mr. Hagarty was united in marriage with Anna L.
Dungan, a daughter of William and Bridget (Ruth) Dungan, of Ireland.
To them were born nine children: Joseph, Jr., now a clerk in the Hartford
Post Ofiice; Ruth. Katherine, Marguerite, Isabelle, William; Mary, died in
infancy, and two others that died in infancy.

It is fitting that this brief notice should close with the words of some
of those associated with Mr. Hagarty in the city government and who knew
at first hand the value of his services. One of the finest tributes paid him
was that of Health Commissioner Frank G. Macomber who spoke at the
time of Mr. Hagarty's death as follows:

That oft misused phrase, "good and faithful servant," was never applied with more
truth than to the life of Joseph Hagarty. He was one of the finest types of faithful and
loyal employee it has ever been my fortune to meet. In fact I may say in all truth that,
had Mr. Hagarty been less faithful, less conscientious to his trust, he would probably

3[ogep!) I^agartp 437

be alive and well to-day instead of dead in what should have been the prime of life.
He knew no hours, he knew no limit to his work. His ambition to see that Hartford
had a pure and safe milk supply was almost an obsession with him ; he seemed to look
upon this duty as a peculiar and particular personal responsibility. When a tainted milk
source was discovered, no matter how trivial, no matter how far removed from the per-
sonal equation, he took the matter to heart and would in a sense apologize to the board
as though he were the ofifender. Combatted and antagonized at every turn by those
with whom he had to deal when he first took up his work, he soon convinced the men
with whom he came in contact that just two motives were his ruling passions — a rugged,
sterling honesty and conscientious loyalty to his duties, and he came to be loved, admired
and respected by the men who at first had disliked him and had tried to obstruct his
work. The saying is that there is no man whose place cannot be filled at once ; that no
man is indispensable. But it is my belief that Hartford will wait many a day to find
another servant who so far forgot self in love of his city and his work as did Joseph
Hagarty.

One of the important Hartford papers had this to say of him in its
editorial columns:

When a city official yields up his life through devotion to the people whom he serves,
it is fitting in these times, when there is often occasion to cite carelessness and neglect
in public office, to call full attention to it. The people of Hartford are to-day deprived
of the services of an efficient servant, who labored in a capacity almost vital to the wel-
fare of the community, the protecting of the purity of its milk supply. Milk Inspector
Joseph Hagarty labored early and late that the health of the people of Hartford might
be preserved. In devotion to his duty he sacrificed his own health. It is well that the
people of Hartford should know it. He was only forty- six.

Mayor Lawler, of Hartford, had this to say of Mr. Hagarty:

I have been acquainted with the fine service which Mr. Hagarty rendered this com-
munity by the quality of his service as milk inspector. I feel that his record of faithful-
ness in office cannot be too highly commended. He has set us all a splendid example.
With deep sorrow I learned of his death, brought on prematurely perhaps by his devo-
tion to his work, and I know of no more responsible work to the welfare of the com-
munity than that which he was performing. I extend my sincere sympathies to his
family, yet I feel that they have that in his civic record of which to be proud.

Hermon Igaillarli Harloto

|F those hardy pioneers who from the earlier New England
settlements penetrated the beautiful but stern wilderness to
the north and formed the nucleus of what later became the
States of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, there has
descended a race, hardy like their forefathers, and which
has been represented throughout the course of American his-
tory by some of the most picturesque and admirable of all
our great fellow-countrymen. Much of the breadth, the wholesome rugged-
ness, the unbounded out-of-doors quality of the landscape in those parts
seem to have entered into the nature of its inhabitants, who combine in a
rare degree the intense love of home and an adventurous daring which are
ever found at the roots of a great people. And these splendid qualities are
by no means the sole possession of those more striking^ figures which have
found their way into history, for these are but representative of their fel-
lows, who share with them in hardly less degree the characteristics that
made them famous. Of such stock was sprung the Harlow family, of which
Hermon Willard Harlow, late of Hartford, was a distinguished member,
and in whom were exemplified in a high degree the qualities we have been
considering.

Hermon Willard Harlow was born November i6, 1835, i^i Charles-
town, New Hampshire, and it is with this northern region, in his native
State, in \"ermont and the northeast corner of New York State, that his
career is associated despite the fact that the last twenty years of his life was
spent in Hartford, Connecticut. He began his schooling in the town of his
birth, but, removing with his parents to Springfield, Vermont, while still a
mere lad, he continued it in that town and there gained, among other
acquirements, the great skill as a penman which characterized him, and
which stood him in good stead later in his career. Upon completing his
education, the young man began his business life by working in the woolen
mills of Springfield, at first as a factory hand. It was not a great while,
however, before his ability as a penman was discovered, and this in addition
to his obviously alert mind and quick intelligence, soon gained him a most
satisfactory transference of position, and he was installed as a bookkeeper
in the same concern. But his ambition was rather stimulated than satisfied
by this advance and he soon cast about him for means to still further better
his condition. With characteristic energy he applied himself industriously
to the study of telegraphy and a little later secured the position as operator
at Rouse's Point, Clinton county. New York State, and at Ludlow, Ver-
mont. He remained in these positions until the year 1859, when he went to
New York City, and there lived for a period of seven years. In 1866 he
returned to Springfield, Vermont, and there engaged in the hardware busi-
ness on his own account. This he conducted with his usual clear-sighted-
ness, and developed a large trade until his establishment was regarded as
one of the foremost in its line in that region. His reputation as an able man-

i^etmon muiatt lt)atloto 439

ager and substantial merchant was widespread and he rapidly amassed a
very considerable fortune. He was one of the most influential figures in the
neighborhood in the year 1888, when his home was entirely destroyed by
fire. He was associated with a number of important local business enter-
prises and these connections he also kept up during the remainder of his
residence in Springfield. Mr. Harlow was greatly interested in the politics
of his day. and was a keen observer of the questions and issues with which
the country was at that time confronted. He supported with all his might
the policies of the Republican party and made himself so useful to it in its
local campaigns that he soon came to be recognized as one of the State
leaders. The year following the fire which destroyed his home, he was the
successful candidate of the Republican party for the State Legislature, and
served his district most effectively in that body during that year and the
next. In the year 1891, however, he retired altogether from active life and
removed to Hartford, Connecticut, which city became his home until the
time of his death, March i, 1910.

Mr. Harlow was a man devotedly fond of his fellows and one who
enjoyed simple healthy intercourse with them, yet his chief happiness was
found in his home life, and although he was a member of the Springfield
Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and a prominent figure in general social
circles, yet the greatest amount of his leisure time was spent by his own
fireside in the familiar intercourse of his household and personal friends.

Mr. Harlow married, August 2/, 1863, Nettie L. Parks, a native of Ohio,
but at the time of her marriage a resident of Springfield, Vermont, and a
daughter of William and Elizabeth Waters (Filley) Parks. The Parks
family is an old New England one which for many years has resided in
various parts of Vermont and New Hampshire and always retained a high
place in the regard of the community. To Mr. and Mrs. Harlow there were
born two sons, Frederick Milton and William Parks, both of whom are now
married and reside in Hartford.

It is always profitable to study the records of such men as Mr. Harlow,
representative as he is of so many thousand of our fellow-countrymen who
have raised themselves by means of their own efforts from the lowest to the
highest rounds of the ladder of success. Beginning as a factory hand, which
he entered with the intention of working his way up from the bottom, he
overcame whatever handicap he had in the race of life, until through
patience, perseverence and indefatigable industry, he came to occupy a
position as leader in the community, both as a merchant and man of affairs.
Such a career cannot fail to prove an incentive and stimulus to similar efforts
on the part of others and thus prove a strong instrumentality for good in
the community where they appear. His earthlj^ life is over, but the influence
of which he was the origin still exerts itself in the lives of men.

'HE death of Dr. Erastus P. Swasey, of New Britain, Connec-
ticut, on November 13, 1915, removed from that region one
of the most prominent and conspicuous figures in the life of
the community. One of a family of physicians and scientific
men — Dr. Swasey's father and grandfather were both in
medical practice — he was himself especially gifted in this
honorable calling and established himself as one of the
leaders of his profession in that part of the State. The Swasey family is of
the very oldest Colonial stock, having been founded in this country as early
as 1632, when they settled in Salem, Massachusetts, since which time the
members of the house have distinguished themselves in the affairs of that
and other New England communities.

Dr. Erastus P. Swasey was born May 4, 1847, ^t Wakefield, New
Hampshire, a son of Dr. Charles Lamson and Hannah (Barker) Swasey, of
that place. Dr. Charles Lamson Swasey was a graduate of Bowdoin College
and Medical School and removed from his New Hampshire home to the city
of New Bedford, Massachusetts, while his son was still a small child. It
was in this place that the latter received his preliminary education, attend-
ing the excellent local public schools for that purpose. It was the father's
desire from the very first that his son should follow in his footsteps in the
choice of a profession, and as the latter grew to an age to think for himself
he coincided entirely in this view and while still very young began to study
the subject of medicine under the tutelage of his father. Upon finishing his
general studies in the local schools, he went to New York City and there
matriculated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons. He highly distin-
guished himself in his course in this institution and was graduated from
the same with the class of 1869, taking his degree of Doctor of Medicine.
It was the intention of Dr. Swasey to perfect himself in all departments of
his profession, as well in the practical aspect as in the theoretical, and
accordingly he spent more than two years as an interne in the New York
Hospital, a part of which he devoted to the surgical wards and the remainder
to the children's hospital and nursery connected with that institution.
Finally, in 1871, he came to the city of New Britain, Connecticut, and there
established himself in practice and continued to make it his home and his
professional headquarters during the remainder of his life. From the outset
Dr. Swasey was successful ; his practice rapidly increased and he gained a
reputation for accuracy in diagnosis and general skill that caused many to
resort to him for advice and treatment without the limits of the city. He
soon became recognized as one of the leaders in the medical profession in
that part of the State, both among his fellow physicians and the people gen-
erally. Dr. Swasey's first office in New Britain was situated on Main street
in the building known as Hart's Block and above what was at that time
Thompson's drug store, and here he remained a number of years until his
practice had reached very large proportions. He then, in 1900, built a very

OBrastus p. ^toasep 441

handsome mansion on West Main street, which served him at once as office
and home until the time of his death. Dr. Swasey was associated with many
professional bodies, chief among which were the Hartford Medical Society,
the County, State and National associations.

In 1873 Dr. Swasey was united in marriage with Agnes Smyth, by
whom he had one child, Agnes Perry Swasey, who died at the age of eleven
years. Mrs. Swasey died in July, 1874, and in 1889 Dr. Swasey was married
to Hope S. Martyn, of Attleboro, Massachusetts, a daughter of Dr. John
Calvin and Ellen (Barrows) Martyn, of that place. As in the case of her
husband, Mrs. Swasey's father and grandfather were both physicians, so
that the medical associations of the family were doubled by this union. Mrs.
Swasey survives her husband and still resides in the charming home on West
Main street.

Besides his highly developed professional skill and knowledge. Dr.
Swasey possessed one of the most essential elements of success as a physi-
cian, the quality, namely, of a profound and universal sympathy, combined
with a cheerful optimism that relieved the tension and cast at least a
momentary brightness upon even the most forlorn sick bed. In the days
when Dr. Swasey practiced, the demands made upon this side of a physi-
cian's nature were excessive, when in nine out of ten cases the patient was
also the personal friend. Of this part of the medical life the modern special-
ist, who sits in his office and has presented for his inspection what amounts
to little more than a series of scientific problems, has but a vague idea. This
coldly scientific attitude is held by some to be the ideal one for professional
work, but it is a proposition that may be maintained with much reason that
the stimulating power of such friendship as the old-fashioned family physi-
cian was able to give is a most important factor in practical therapeutics.

Dr. Swasey was a man of unusually developed aesthetic instincts. All
that was beautiful made a most powerful appeal to him from the various
aspects of inanimate nature, to the most intricate achievements of art. He
was a great traveller and spent as much time as possible in viewing the
world and becoming familiar with its various peoples in all of whom he felt
an abiding interest. He greatly enjoyed these journeys and took several
trips to Europe as well as a number to various parts of his own country and
other American lands. He was devoted to life of every kind and had a per-
fect passion for making pets. On a trip to Brazil he purchased two of the
small monkeys native there and brought them back to his New Britain
home, where patience and kindness completely tamed them so that they are
now the greatest of pets. Another manner in which his artistic tastes made
themselves apparent was in his devotion to the art of photography, in which
he developed the highest degree of proficiency. His object was to produce
the most artistic work and to this he bent his unusual powers with a result
that he became a master of the art and his home is to-day filled with remark-
able examples of his skill.

HotDarli (George arms

[T is always a great misfortune for a community when the bet-
ter classes therein, either from indifference or other cause,
cease to take an active part in politics and lose all ambition
to hold public office or have a voice in the control of local
affairs. There are, undoubtedly, some parts of this country
to which this misfortune has occurred, especially in certain
metropolitan districts, where the best people seem tacitly to
have agreed to keep their hands off all public matters and leave the conduct
of them unreservedly to the dregs of society. Such an impeachment of the
public spirit of its citizens can never be justly directed against the com-
munities of New England, where all classes are willing and even eager to
take upon themselves the hardships and the honors of public office and
where to have taken a part in the government of one's city or county is held
to add lustre to the most aristocratic name, if that adjective be not an inex-
cusable anamoly in a Democratic land. However that may be, it is certain
that the members of the oldest and most highly honored families there set
an example of disinterestedness and devotion to their social obligations
that might well be followed elsewhere. As an excellent example of this
worthy public spirit Howard George Arms, of Bristol, Connecticut, whose
death on December 4, 1915, was felt as a loss by the entire community,
should be prominently instanced. The Arms family were among the early
settlers of Deerfield. Massachusetts, which is one of the old historic spots
in that State.

Howard George Arms was born in Mooretown, Vermont, March 28,
1855, son of George Craig and Abigail (Mitchell) Arms, both of whom are
living at the present time (1916) and they were the parents of four children,
two of whom are also living, namely : Mrs. W. H. Whitehill, of Avon, Mon-
tana, and Mrs. William Gibb, a widow, who resides with her parents.
George Craig Arms was a native of Mooretown, Vermont, but removed to
Bristol, Connecticut, in 1880, and there engaged in the marble and granite
business. Howard G. Arms was educated in the public schools of Moore-
town and in the academy at Waterbury Center, Vermont. He began his
business career in his father's employ, remaining with him until he was
twenty-three years old, and then removed to New York City and pursued a
course of study in crayon portraiture, he having always evinced a keen desire
to become an artist. He studied for two years in the art schools of New
York City, after which, at the age of twenty-five, he located in Bristol, Con-
necticut, where he was very successful in that line of work, many of the
wealthy and prominent families giving him their patronage. He also was
connected with his father in the marble and granite business until 1893, but
that business being rather dull during the winter months, he devoted that
portion of the year to his portrait work. In 1893 he received the appoint-
ment of chief of police, in which capacity he served for twelve years, after
which he again engaged in the marble and granite business with his father,
who was not able to conduct the business alone owing to failing health.

From his early youth Howard G. Arms had always been interested in

^otoarD (Deotge arms 443

political questions, whether of local or wider significance, and was a staunch
supporter of the principles and policies for which the Republican party
stands. As he grew to manhood he began to display considerable talent and
ability as a leader and he became prominent in local political circles and
actively connected with the Republican town organization. He was the
first fire chief of the fire department, in which position he served for a num-
ber of years, and for a very long period was one of the fire commissioners,
performing excellent service in both of these capacities, but it was as chief
of police, already mentioned, that he established the highest reputation for
himself. It was when Bristol first received its charter as a city that Mr.
Arms was elected to this office, so that he was the first man to fill it, which
he did with so much tact and so efficiently as to set a standard for his suc-
cessors in office. He reorganized the department and fitted it for its more
extended duties, placing it upon its present efifective footing and presenting
his fellow citizens with a department of which they may well feel proud.
He was very popular with the people of Bristol, who, had he been willing,
would have honored him with any office in their gift, his election being cer-
tain to follow. In the general life of the city Mr. Arms was a conspicuous
figure, taking active part in its social and club circles, holding membership
in many prominent organizations, among which should be mentioned Frank-
lin Lodge, No. 56, Free and Accepted Masons; the local lodge, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows; Bristol Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks ; the Order of Good Fellows, and Fraternal Benefit League.

Mr. Arms married, November 23, 1881, Ella Amelia Gale, a native of
Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, born November 2, 1861, daughter of Daniel
Jackson and Lucy Ann (Spear) Gale, and granddaughter of Richard Gale,
a soldier in the Continental army during the Revolution, in which he dis-
tinguished himself highly for gallantry. Daniel J. Gale was a native of Ver-
mont, and his wife of New York State ; they moved to Wisconsin at an early
day and remained there until their daughter, Mrs. Arms, was ten years of
age, when they returned east and made their home in Bristol, Connecticut,
where Mr. Gale was employed in one of the clock factories. During his resi-
dence in the west he had invented a calendar clock, and later the Welch
Spring Company, of Bristol, purchased the rights to make the same. Mr.
and Mrs. Arms were the parents of three children, one of whom died in
infancy, the other two surviving, namely: Harold Ira, born in 1883, now
employed as bookkeeper by the Wallace Barnes Spring Manufacturing
Company of Bristol, Connecticut; he married Mabel Todd Harrison, who
bore him two children: Stanley George and Richard. Gladys Isabelle, born
in 1893, now residing with her mother in Bristol, Connecticut. Mr. Arms
was an attendant of the Baptist church, of which his wife and daughter are
members.

Personally Mr. Arms was a man of strong will and energetic nature, a
man capable of hard and long-continued work, and one who devoted him-
self unremittingly to the public service. He was one of the most popular
public officials that Bristol had ever known and he well deserved the popu-
larity. His dealings with his fellow-men in all the relations of life, from the
most public to the most private, were in every respect beyond reproach, and
he deserves the same high praise as a husband and father that has been so
universally accorded to him in his official capacity.

Bsaac (Slajter

►REOCCUPIED WITH MATERIAL concerns as the Ameri-
can people have of necessity grown in the long struggle they
have had for the conquest of a new continent, it is not sur-
prising to find a slight disposition on the part of most to
rather underrate the value of the things of culture and art.
The astonishing thing, indeed, is not that we should find this
disposition, but that we should not find it more pronounced
when we consider how the conditions of life imposed upon us from the be-
ginning have left but little time for men to become familiar with these mat-
ters, and that it is inevitable that we should disregard what we do not know.
And even here, despite the somewhat uncongenial environment, the love of
art is beginning to flourish more and more, as men instinctively turn to it as
a solace from the sorrows, a relaxation from the efforts of the practical
affairs of life. That such a tendency is on the point to assert itself with
increasing emphasis we have abundant evidence to-day, but it is also true
that, even in the past, when the imaginations of men found ample scope for
their dreams in the possibilities and opportunities of our vast new domain
of material resources, even then there existed a firm undercurrent of
aesthetic feeling which found expression in many ways. To the truth of
this proposition the success of a man like Isaac Glazier, of Hartford, Con-
necticut, whose business was wholly in objects of art and virtu, bears
abundant testimony.

Isaac Glazier was a native of Willington, Connecticut, born December
21, 1835, a son of Isaac and Lucy (Snow) Glazier, of that place. The years
of his childhood were passed in the town of his birth and in Suft'olk, Con-
necticut, and he attended the schools of both places, acquiring an excellent
education and laying the foundation of that artistic taste which he after-
wards made the basis of his successful business career. Upon completing his
studies he removed to Hartford and there became employed by James L.
Howard in the latter's brass finished goods business. In this line he did
well, but his fondness for art urged him continually to engage in some line
of activity in which he could come into familiar contact with the things he
loved so much. In the meantime he had demonstrated to his own satisfac-
tion, as well as to his employer's, his capability as far as business was con-
cerned, and in 1857 he finally determined to embark on his own account on
what seemed but a doubtful venture. Its doubtfulness was rendered double
at just that time by the great business depression of that year which proved
fatal to many established concerns, and it was in the face of much opposition
on the part of his friends and much contrary advice that Mr. Glazier per-
sisted in his intentions. His self-confidence and faith were not shaken, how-
ever, and in the same year, having set aside a sufticient capital to float his
enterprise, he opened an art gallery and store in the city of Hartford. It
was a bold move but the event thoroughly justified it, and almost from the
outset his business flourished. His gallery, which for long was a pleasant

asaac aia?ier 445

and familiar sight to passersby, was situated in the Hungerford and Combs
business block, on Main street, near Central Row, and here he established
himself as a dealer in rare and valuable paintings and engravings. His col-
lection came to be regarded as the best in Hartford of its kind and he was
himself recognized as a connoisseur and authority on the subject. He devoted
himself heart and soul to his work, his great interest growing the more
deeply he went into his subject, so that his venture was in the highest degree
a success, not only in the sense of pecuniary returns, but in that far rarer
one of a happiness and continual pleasure as a work and a calling. This
successful career, which promised so brilliantly for the future, was cut short
by Mr. Glazier's death when he was but thirty-six years of age, on December
8, 1872, a loss to the art situation in Hartford and to the city generally,
which it will be difficult to make up.

Mr. Glazier was a man of great public spirit and however absorbing his
work was to him, he did not allow his attention to be entirely confined to it,
but kept himself in touch with the life of his community at many points, and
gave considerable time and energy to many movements of which he
approved. He was of a strongly religious nature, an active member of the
First Baptist Church of Hartford, and was also prominently connected with
the Young Men's Institute in the city.

On September 5, i860, Mr. Glazier married Clara Mather, a daughter
of Charles and Mary (Hathaway) Mather, old residents of Suffield, Connec-
ticut, where Mrs. Mather lived to the advanced age of ninety-seven years.
To Mr. and Mrs. Glazier four children were born, as follows: Charles M.;
Daniel J., now the secretary of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company;
Robert C, now treasurer of the Riverside Trust Company ; and Frederick D.,
deceased.

The life of Isaac Glazier displayed a rather unusual union of practical
ability and high idealism. The conduct of his business left nothing to be
desired from the most exacting commercial standard, its high degree of
success being all the evidence required of this, yet it is unquestionable that
all those who came in contact with him felt most strongly the uplifting effect
of his personality. A man who is himself so devoted to art, cannot fail to
exercise an influence for cul'ture on all about him, but it was not only in this
direction that Mr. Glazier's effect was felt. He was one whose strong moral-
ity radiated from him to the advantage of all who knew him, and one and all
bore witness to the beneficial stimulus that resulted from intercourse with
him. A social man, yet with strong domestic instincts, he delighted in the
society of his family and intimate friends, and it was his delight to be
forever planning the benefit or happiness of those about him. He may well
stand as a model of the loving husband and parent, the faithful friend and
comrade, the good citizen, the well-rounded man.

3ot)n (Soobtom ilJlfe

MONO THE SUCCESSFUL merchants and business men of
Hartford in the past generation, no name stands higher for
integrity and substantial business methods than that of John
Goodwin Mix, a Ufelong resident of the city, though not a
native, one whose Hfe was spent largely in efiforts for the
city's welfare and whose death there on September 23, 1869,
was a loss to the entire community. Mr. Mix was a member
of a prominent Connecticut family, being a descendant, indeed, of one Ozias
Goodwin, who was a member of the little band of pioneers who, under the
leadership of Thomas Hooker, founded the city of Hartford. It was from
this line of ancestry that he received the middle name of which, with great
good reason, he felt not a little proud. His parents were Samuel and Roxena
(Pelton) Mix, who in their youth passed a most romantic existence in one
of the wildest spots in New England in those days. For a reason that has
never been known, Mr. Mix, Sr., took his young bride of but a month and
leaving the scenes of civilization behind struck directly into the wilderness.
The two eventually settled on South Hero Island in Lake Champlain off the
Vermont shore. At that time, it was the year 1797, the whole region was a
wilderness, but imperfectly explored, and, as it happened, a resort for all
kinds of vagabonds and fugitives from justice. In these strange surround-
ings the young couple lived for a considerable period and it was here that
John Goodwin Mix was born in the year 1802. His associations with South
Hero Island were brief, however, for he came to Farmington when about
seventeen years old and made his home with an uncle, Judge John Mix;
his parents remained at South Hero Island. It seems that the lad must
have absorbed some of the wildness of his native region, for he was con-
stantly up to all sorts of pranks. It was an innocent sort of wildness,
however, and while the good and pious people of Farmington may have been
greatly scandalized by the sudden clamor of the church bells at unwonted
hours, or other such matters, still no one's interests suffered in any real
manner, and it is to be presumed that Providence looks with an indulgent
eye upon such merry doings and even hearkens with an ear not too cen-
sorious to such profane music, so that it be played with light heart and a free
conscience. These feats were performed in the pauses of gaining his educa-
tion, or shall we say that the education was gained in the pauses between
jests? However this may be, they were both achieved with a good heart and
no little success and childhood passed wholesomely into a sound manhood.
His studies were pursued at the Farmington School, and upon graduation
he at once entered the grocery business in Hartford. He was extremely
successful and it was in this trade that he established his splendid record
as a merchant in the community. During the '40s an intense interest in
temperance swept over the country. Mr. Mix proposed to become a mem-
ber of the Second Congregational Church, but was not accepted for mem-
bership owing to the fact that liquor was included in his stock in trade.

^Jm ^Ofloc

31ol)n (gooDtoin ^it 447

Nearly all fortunes in that time were accumulated through the sale of
Jamaica rum. However, Mr. Mix was a faithful attendant at the old First
or Center Church, of which he never became a member. He had bought the
rum in good faith and felt he could not throw away that for which he had
not paid. In after years the Rev. Mr. Daggett, the then minister of the
South Church, said that he had never felt the church did right in not
accepting Mr. Mix. The grocery establishment which he founded became
one of the best in Hartford and he continued to operate it until the year
1857. At that time Mr. Mix was already a wealthy man, and he there-
fore retired from his business and devoted himself entirely to real estate
investment and development. His operations in this field were on a large
scale, and to such as did not know the conditions might have seemed
a little venturesome, but his judgment was excellent and his foresight did
not fail him, so that in practically every case the event justified the invest-
ment. One of the chief of these concerned land in Minnesota, large tracts
of which he purchased in partnership with six other Hartford men, the whole
party going west about the close of the Civil War. When these purchases
had been made they returned to the east ; Mr. Mix went back every few
years to look over the land, etc., and make reports. This care involved an
immense deal of living in the open air and exercise, the possessions being so
large that their inspection involved much riding. It is no wonder, therefore,
that he possessed splendid health and appeared the most robust of men.
So healthy did he seem, indeed, that even the stout westerners whom he met
on the long rides over the property remarked the fact and this gave rise to
a rather amusing "joke" at his expense. He was an extremely abstemious
man and practically eschewed liquor in all forms, but his color was so ruddy
that it became usual to remark of him that he must drink a very fine grade
of brandy, and this account persisted considerably to his amusement. All
this region of the State was opened up after the war by the government to
be given as bounties to the returning' soldiers, and in the consequent coming
in of people and the corresponding rise in real estate values, Mr. Mix and his
partners cleared a handsome fortune.

In April, 1833, Mr. Mix was united in marriage with Clarissa Champion
Isham, a daughter of Colonel John and Elizabeth (Gilbert) Isham, of Col-
chester, Connecticut. Mrs. Mix was a member of a most distinguished
Connecticut family, her ancestors, particularly in the Champion line, having
been very well known and played most prominent parts in the afifairs of the
State. One of these, the founder of the family in America, Henry Champion,
came to the colonies as early as 1647 '^^^ settled in Saybrook, Connecticut,
and it has been with this place and the town of Lyme that the name has
been most closely associated ever since. Another of her ancestors was the
redoubtable General Henry Champion, who distinguished himself for gal-
lantry during the Revolution and served as commissary general of Connec-
ticut during that period. The chapter of the Society of the Daughters of
the American Revolution at Malone, New York, is named after the eldest
daughter of General Champion, the Deborah Champion Chapter. To Mr.
and Mrs. Mix were born three children: Martha Isham, George Henry and
Eliza Farwell. The last named is a resident of Hartford and is extremely

448 31ofjn (©ooDtoin e©ij

interested in all matters of local history and genealogy. She is a member of
the Daughters of the Revolution, the Ruth Wyllys Chapter, of Hartford, and
is active in the work of the organization in preserving our national monu-
ments and historic landmarks.

John Goodwin Mix was a man, not only of very sterling merits, but of
great charm of person and manner as well. He was one of eleven children
born to his parents in the wild home of his youth, and he early gained much
self assurance and poise which became him well and won the confidence of
others, a confidence that he never betrayed. The same qualities that, as a
boy, led him into many innocent scrapes, continued through life in a certain
love of adventure and boldness of character that is always so popular with
men. and the result was that he possessed a host of friends and admirers
who, first attracted by the charming exterior were afterwards confirmed in
their feelings by the fine virtues they found below. Of unimpeachable integ-
rity and bold yet prudent business methods, he soon became a power in that
realm and scarcely less was the place he occupied in other departments of
the city's life. He was of an exceedingly charitable nature and the appeal
of real need never failed to awaken a generous impulse in response. One
story is told of this generosity quite characteristic of the man. It appears
that at the time of the outbreak of the Civil War there was a strong wave of
patriotism in Hartford and it was the desire of many to volunteer whose
worldly circumstances rendered it well nigh impossible. Among these was
a certain acquaintance of Mr. Mix who was most anxious to enlist in his
country's service but who was encumbered with a mortgage on his property
which he felt it was impossible to leave his family burdened with. His
dilemma came to the ears of Mr. Mix who straightway paid ofif the mortgage
and freed the man from his just scruples. With such a character it is small
wotrder that he lived much loved and honored and at his death was deeply
lamented by a host of friends.

)etl) i^ratt

LTHOUGH ESSENTIALLY a business man with large,
important and varied interests and successful in all his
undertakings, Mr. Pratt was widely known in the political
world of his State, and for his deeds of charity. Of generous
physical proportions, his heart was in proportion, but in his
benevolence few but the recipients ever knew their extent.
His acquaintance was very large, as was attested on his
sixtv-fifth birthday when he was deluged by a shower of post cards from
friends all over the country. His greatest interest during a long business
life was perhaps in horse dealing and breeding. He was the largest dealer
in western horses in the State, doing a business in that grade of horse alone
amounting to $50,000 annually. He was very proud of Litchfield, the town
to which he was brought when four years of age, and all that tended to aid
or improve the borough, had in him a hearty supporter. Ever active in
politics, his was a potent voice in party councils, and he was very close to
party leaders, by whom he was freely consulted.

Seth Pratt was born at Sheffield, Massachusetts, on Christmas Day,
1845, ^"d died at Litchfield, Connecticut, March 21, 1910, son of Daniel and
Harriet Pratt. In 1849 his parents moved to Litchfield and there he lived
until death. He was educated in the public schools, and in early life was
variously employed. He became proprietor of "Pratt's Pharmacy" on
North street and was in successful business there for many years. He also
owned and operated a large livery barn and dealt largely in horses, special-
izing in v/estern bred stock. He owned and operated a line of stages running
to East Litchfield, W. S. Fenn being his partner in the latter enterprise for
the twelve years preceding Mr. Pratt's death. He was a capable business
man, scrupulously exact in all his transactions. He regarded his word as
sacred and was always held in high esteem.

He was a Republican in politics and very active in civic and county
affairs. He represented Litchfield in the lower branch of the State Legis-
lature during the session of 1886 and the Litchfield district in 1888 as State
Senator. His record as a legislator was excellent and he became very in-
fluential. Among his close political friends he numbered E. J. Hill and O.
R. Fyler. He was appointed postmaster at Litchfield under President Har-
rison and held that office under every later Republican president until his
death, having been reappointed only a few weeks prior to that sad event. He
was a member of St. Paul's Lodge, No. 11, Free and Accepted Masons, and
when he was laid at final rest, the beautiful Masonic burial services were
rendered by his brethren.

Mr. Pratt married at New Haven, Connecticut, May 12, 1897, Mar-
guerite C. Quigley, daughter of Felix and Mary A. (Herbert) Quigley, her
parents both born in Ireland but coming to the United States when young,
locating at Farrington, Connecticut. Mrs. Pratt survives her husband, a
resident of Litchfield.

CONN_Vol in_29

ateanber alien

'HE POPULATION OF the United States is without doubt
the most cosmopolitan in the world. Individual cities such
as Paris, Hong Kong or Cairo, where representatives of
every nation on earth are said to congregate, may perhaps
claim a rivalry with it, but nowhere on the earth's surface
to-day, and it would probably be safe to assert that nowhere
on the earth's surface during recorded history, was there to
be found an area even approaching that of this country over which was
spread so heterogeneous a people, the component parts of which traced their
descent from so many different ethnic sources. There is a vast deal of differ-
ence of opinion as to whether this is as it should be or otherwise in con-
nection with many of the elements that have here found lodgment, but
whether, as some claim, we face untold dangers from this admixture of
bloods, or as others no less surely pronounce, that the greatest strength is
the result of it, there is absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind that the latter
is true in so far as the original union of races here, the union which formed
the splendid foundation for the future American race. Those sturdy and
enterprising colonists who first came to the western wilderness and to
whose efforts its reclamation for the uses of humanity is due, represented
some of the most advanced and dominant of the European peoples and their
mingling here produced a result in strength and energy that might have
been anticipated. Nor have these virile northern peoples even yet abandoned
us to the uncounteracted immigration of other races which, whatever their
possibilities for the future, are certainly to-day far less desirable as citizens
than those who preceded them, but continue to add, though in less numbers,
to that strong nucleus which, it is the prayer of every well-wisher of this
land, may leaven with its own virtues the whole mass. Among these strong
and enlightened stocks which in the past laid down so firmly our social
foundation and are to-day continuing the process from time to time, none
have contributed more valuable qualities to our body politic than that which
finds its origin in the north of Ireland and which is commonly spoken of as
Scotch-Irish. Full of daring and enterprise, yet of a conservative and highly
moral nature and disposition, these gifted people have made, not only their
own home region flourish, but have won success and prosperity in practically
every part of the globe their wanderings have led them to.

Of this race, whose virtues he represented in his own person, was sprung
Alexander Allen, of Hartford, Connecticut, whose birth, lifelong residence
and death there identified him wholly with the life and interests of that
city. But though born in the American city himself, Mr. Allen's relations
with his ancestral blood was absolute, since his parents both came from that
country of which they were native and settled here some little time prior to
his birth. Robert and Margaret (Stewart) Allen, the parents of the Mr.
Allen of this brief sketch, became, on their arrival here, the possessors of a
farm which occupied a site very near that of Trinity College, and now

aieianDet alien 451

entirely occupied by the growing- city of Hartford. Here, on this property
which rapidly increased in value, Mr. Allen was born March 13, 1849, and
here six years later his father died. During- his childhood and early youth
the lad continued to live with his mother on the old place, and from there
attended the local schools where he acquired an excellent education. He
afterwards took a course in a business college where he learned much that
proved of value to him in after life. After thus completing his studies, of
which his ambitious and industrious nature caused him to make the most
possible use, he secured a position in the office of the Lincoln Foundry, where
his alertness soon put him in line for promotion. He did not remain a great
while in this employment, however, his enterprising spirit pointing out
many ways of entering business on his own account. He engaged in the
theatrical business for a short time and then opened a market on Asylum
street, a venture in which he succeeded admirably. He continued to operate
this market for several years and would probably have remained in the trade
longer, had not the opportunity arisen for him to become associated with his
father-in-law, William M. Charter, in the latter's large and well established
ice business. The house which dealt in ice and of which Mr. Charter was at
that time president, had been started by him a number of years previously,
and was then transacting a very large business. Mr. Allen became a member
of the firm which was known as the Spring Brook Ice Company, and with
his active and vigorous nature, he soon made himself a most valuable
adjunct, taking upon his own shoulders much of the burden and responsi-
bility of management as Mr. Charter grew older. The business done by the
Spring Brook Ice Company during the management of it by Mr. Allen was
surpassed by no similar concern in the neighborhood and Mr. Allen became
a wealthy man from its proceeds.

But it was not only as a business man that Mr. Allen played a con-
spicuous role in the community. He was active in many movements, social,
political and military, and was well known wherever he went. He did not
indeed enter local politics with any idea of public office, yet he was well
known in the vicinity as a staunch and ardent Republican who never missed
an opportunity to work to the advantage of his party. He enlisted at an
early age in the First Regiment, Connecticut National Guard, and rose to
the rank of captain therein, and he was later made brigade inspector with
rank of major.

Mr. Allen was married on September 13, 1874, to Emma E. Charter, a
daughter of William M. and Charlotte A. (Smith) Charter, old and respected
residents of Hartford. General Charter was at one time engaged in the
grocery business in the city, but later established the great ice house already
mentioned. He held many important positions in the city and the com-
monwealth of Connecticut, having been a member of the street commission
in Hartford and quartermaster-general of the State. He was also a member
of Governor English's staff. He died April 5, 1897, and his wife about two
years prior to that date. Mr. Charter was as strong a Democrat as his son-
in-law, Mr. Allen, was Republican. To Mr. and Mrs. Allen were born four
children : William Robert, John Charles, Elbert K. and Alice Lisle. The eld-
est of these, William Robert, married Lillian Prentice, and they now reside

452

aieratiDer Sllen

in Hartford. The second son and the sister. John Charles and Alice Lisle,
are unmarried and now reside with their mother, at the handsome family
home at No. 237 Sigourney street. Elbert K. Allen married Sarah McGill,
who bore him one child, Stewart Whitcomb. Their residence is at Portland,
Maine. Mr. Allen is survived by his wife and four children. His death
occurred on July 6, 191 1, in the sixty-third year of his age, and was felt as
a severe loss, not only by the many friends and associates who had grown to
respect and honor him for his own sake, but in the business world of that
region, wherein he had grown to be such a prominent and influential figure.

3(ames Junius dJootitotn

^HERE ARE MANY notable names identified with the finan-
cial and industrial development of New England during the
past half century, and they deserve the whole-hearted
gratitude and praise of those who to-day are reaping the
fruits of their labors. Among these names is that of Good-
win, the members of this family having been closely asso-
ciated in the projection of those vast plans, the consumma-
tion of which has influenced the entire business world. Among them was
the late James Junius Goodwin, whose death on June 23, 191 5, left a gap in
the life of two communities, New York and Hartford, which it will be
difficult to fill. Although his active career in business brought him into
more intimate intercourse with the financial operations of New York than
with those of Hartford, the former city as the metropolis of the western
hemisphere being a sort of clearing house for the world-wide financial trans-
actions with which he had to do, yet in most of the aspects of his life it was
rather with the smaller city that Mr. Goodwin may be said to have been
identified. His forbears were for many generations among the prominent
men of Hartford, who set and maintained high standards of probity and
liberality for the business methods of the city; he was himself born there,
and until his death he never gave up his Hartford home, spending, indeed,
the greater part of each year in its delightful retirement.

The founder of the family in this country was Ozias Goodwin, and it
seems probable that he was one of the immigrants who arrived in Boston
on September 12, 1632, on the ship "Lion" from England. It must have
been no great while thereafter that he removed from Boston to the little
colony founded by Thomas Hooker on the banks of the Connecticut river,
the germ of the modern Hartford; for as early as 1662 Nathaniel Goodwin,
his son, was admitted as a freeman into that community by the General
Court of Connecticut. From that time through all the stirring chapters of
its history, the Goodwins have been active in the afifairs of Hartford, taking
part in its civic and military duties and proving themselves in every way to
be public-spirited citizens.

In the earlier part of the nineteenth century the family was represented
in Hartford by the dignified figure of Major James Goodwin, the father of
James Junius, himself a prominent and successful man, who had passed his
childhood in his father's home, long the stopping place of the stages for
Albany and other western points and known as Goodwin's Tavern. It was
with him that the connection with the Morgan family began, when as a
youth he entered Joseph Morgan's ofiice. This Joseph Morgan was the
father of Junius Spencer Morgan, the well known London banker, and one
of the founders of the great financial interests which later became so closely
identified with his son's gigantic career. After a time James Goodwin mar-
ried a daughter of Joseph Morgan and from his mother's brother the sub-
ject of this sketch was given the name of Junius. James Goodwin became
associated in a prominent way with many of the largest and most important

454 3!ame0 31unius aooDtm'n

business institutions in Hartford, among- which should be mentioned the
Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, of which he was president,
as well as institutions of another character, such as the Hartford Hospital;
and in the old military organization known as the Governor's Horse Guard,
of which he was major of the first company.

James Junius Goodwin, son of Major James and Lucy (Morgan) Good-
win, was born in Hartford, September i6, 1835, a"d there passed his child-
hood and youth. His education was for a time in the excellent private
schools of the city, and later in the Hartford High School, from which he
was graduated with the class of 185 1. For a few years following he was
employed in a number of clerical positions, and in 1857 he went abroad for
eighteen months of study and travel. In the early part of the year 1859 ^^
returned to the United States and accepted a position in the firm of William
A. Sale & Company, of New York, engaged in the Chinese and East India
trade. He remained with them about two years, and then became the part-
ner of his cousin, the late J. Pierpont Morgan, who had just been given the
American agency of the great London banking house of George Peabody &
Company, of which his father was a member. The career of the Morgan
firm is too widely known to need rehearsing here, and in fact Mr. Goodwin
remained a partner for only ten years, though the interests with which he
was connected were always allied to Mr. Morgan's. In 1871 the firm was
reconstructed under the name of Drexel, Morgan & Company, Mr. Goodwin
withdrawing from it, and indeed from all active business. He was one of
those who inherited through his father a large portion of his ancestors'
Hartford property which, with the growth of the city, had become a most
valuable possession, and the care of which required much watchful atten-
tion. But though he was not now engaged in active business, he did not
sever his connection entirely with the financial world in which he had
played so important a part. On the contrary, his interests were very large
and varied, and without doubt it is due in large measure to his skill and
wisdom that the institutions with which he was connected had great pros-
perity. Among these should be mentioned the Connecticut Mutual Life In-
surance Company, the Hartford Fire Insurance Company, the Collins Com-
pany, Connecticut Trust & Safe Deposit Company, the Holyoke Water
Power Company, and the Erie & Susquehanna railroad.

Important as was his position in the financial world, and powerful as
was his influence from this source, it is not for this that Mr. Goodwin was
best known and is best remembered in the city of his birth; for though his
business connections were numerous, he was still more active in other de-
partments of the city's life. His public spirit knew no bounds and there
were few movements undertaken for the general welfare in which he was
not a conspicuous participant, aiding with generous pecuniary gifts and also
with his time and personal effort. He was proud of the beautiful old city
of which he and his forefathers had been residents for so many generations,
and it was a pleasure for him to be active, and to be known as active in its
affairs. He was prominent in the general social life of the community and
was a member of many clubs and organizations, such as the Colonel Jere-
miah Wadsworth branch of the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the
American Revolution, the Connecticut Historical Society, of which he was

3Iame0 3iunius (fiJooDtoin 455

vice-president, the General Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connec-
ticut and the Hartford Club. It is appropriate to add here that he was a
member of many important New York clubs, such as the Union, the City, the
Century, the Metropolitan, and the Church clubs. He was also a trustee of
Trinity College, which in 1910 conferred on him the degree of Doctor of
Laws. In the matter of religion Mr. Goodwin was a communicant of the
Episcopal church, as were his ancestors before him. He was a warden of
Calvary Church in New York for twenty-five years and when in Hartford
the venerable Christ Church was the scene of his devotions, and few of its
members were more devoted or more valued than he. He held the office of
warden for many years, and the parish is certainly much the stronger for
his having served it. It was characteristic of him that he was at great pains
to preserve its early traditions and records, and it was due to his generosity
in bearing the expense of publication that the extremely valuable and hand-
some volume of more than seven hundred and fifty pages in which the his-
tory of the parish is traced in the form of annals down to the year 1895, by
Dr. Gurdon W. Russell, was printed and distributed. Another act of Mr.
Goodwin which illustrated his great generosity to the interests of his church
was the gift of the handsome house at No. 98 Woodland street, Hartford,
for the residence of the Bishop of Connecticut.

Mr. Goodwin's pride in his city has already been remarked, and we may
add that its present prosperity, to say nothing of its beauty, owes not a little
to his eiTorts and activities. His efforts, too, on behalf of the preservation
of old records have been of great service for the more exact study and writ-
ing of the city's history, and the Historical Society is richer in the possession
of some very rare and valuable works through his generosity, especially
noticeable being the gift of that great work, "The Victoria History of the
Counties of England," not yet completed, but already a library in itself. He
bore the expense of editing and publishing, as two volumes of the society's
collections, the most important of Hartford's early records.

Mr. Goodwin married Josephine Sarah Lippincott, of Philadelphia,
June 19, 1873. Mrs. Goodwin is a descendant of Richard Lippincott, who
was a settler in Massachusetts some time prior to 1640, at which date he
was living there, and who twenty-five years later was a planter of the first
English settlement in New Jersey. To Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin there were
born three sons who, with their mother, survive him. They are Walter
Lippincott Goodwin, James Lippincott Goodwin, and Philip Lippincott
Goodwin.

A man at once of native power and a high degree of culture, Mr. Good-
win's was a character which instantly made an impression upon those with
whom he came in contact, an impression which was never weakened, of
essential strength, virtue, and kindly charity. He had the power of inspir-
ing devotion on the part of friend or employee, and he repaid it with a faith-
fulness on his part very noteworthy. Nor were his relations with the com-
munity less commendable than with its individual members. Many specific
examples of this might be adduced, but it must suffice to reassert and empha-
size in a general way that Hartford has known few such devoted friends,
few that have been at once so willing and able to further her interests, or so
intimately connected with all that was best in her progress.

3(ames ©. (S^orman

'E are not slow in this country to acknowledge a debt of grati-
tude to most of the European peoples who have contributed
so largely of their best blood, sinew and brain to the making
up of our great and complex citizenship. But we are less
quick to acknowledge, though our tardiness springs wholly
from ignorance in the matter, how greatly we are in the
debt of that staunch and loyal sister to the north of us, Can-
ada, for the strong and capable men, her sons, whom she has sent to take
part in our national duties and destinies. Ignorance, as it is remarked
above, is the sole cause of this lack of gratitude for assuredly we should be
doubly willing to do justice to the near neighbor, so much of one piece with
ourselves, but the fact is that but few realize the number of Canadians that
have come here to live and that have won distinction in this or that realm
of activity and achievement. Yet man}- there are, as a careful perusal of this
volume will disclose to those interested, who, having been born among the
higher latitudes of our sister dominion, have found their way southward
and lived their lives thereafter amongst ourselves. Strongly representative
of the best of these men was James O. Gorman, of Hartford, Connecticut,
whose death in that city on January 12, 191 1, at the age of fifty-nine years,
removed one of its prominent citizens and one of the best known and most
successful of its hotel men.

James O. Gorman was born in 1852, in Quebec, Canada, and he there
passed his boyhood, attending the local schools. He was left an orphan at
an early age, his mother dying when he was but five years old and his father
when he was seven. He was taken charge of by a family of relatives with
whom he lived until he had reached the age of fifteen when, being an excel-
lent linguist and speaking both English and French fluently, he secured a
position to go on the road as an interpreter. He followed this occupation
for some time, during which, by dint of hard work and close economy, he
saved up a little capital, it being his ambition to embark upon a business
enterprise of his own. This he was eventually able to do, his first venture
being in the manufacture of shoes in Lynn, Massachusetts. In this he was
successful, but an opportunity occurring soon after for him to enter the
hotel business he took advantage of it and became the owner of the Saga-
more Hotel, recognized as the best house in Eynn. This he ran in a most
admirable manner for a period of three years, making an enviable reputation
as a capable and honest hotel man throughout that part of the country.
His next move was to Hartford, Connecticut, which thereafter was his home
and the scene of his successful operations. In this city he bought the hotel
belonging to Peter Chute on the corner of Main and Arch streets, meeting
there with a marked success. Shortly after, however, he opened a house on
Main street opposite the South Green and there remained eight years, doing
a large business and becoming widely known throughout the city, both on
account of the excellent service of his hotel and because of his personal

3Iamcs f>. (Sorman 457

qualities, which rendered him a popular and conspicuous figure. His next
purchase was the Rothschild House, which he also ran about eight years,
and then made his final move to the large and important hostelry in Allen
street. This he continued to run until the time of his death with a very high
degree of success. The hotel being one of the best known and most popular
in the city, Mr. Gorman made a very large inconie from it and became one of
the important factors in the hotel business and, indeed, in the business world
generally thereabouts. From the several ventures of the sort that he had
undertaken in Hartford he had come into the possession of a very consider-
able fortune and was regarded as one of the wealthy men of the place.

Before coming to Hartford Mr. Gorman was married to Frances H.
Goodridge, of that town, a daughter of Jeremiah and Caroline (Bowman)
Goodridge, who had made their residence there some time preceding her
birth. They were originally from Maine, Mr. Goodridge having come from
Canaan and his wife from Sidney in that State. To Mr. and Mrs. Gorman
were born five children, as follows: Georgia, Nellie, Clara, Angelo and
Jessica B., who with their mother survive Mr. Gorman. The eldest of these,
Georgia, is now Mrs. George R. Finley ; the second daughter, Nellie, mar-
ried Mr. J. Denby; and Clara, the third daughter, became the wife of Wil-
liam L. Dill, of New Jersey, an assistant secretary of the State. Mr. and
Mrs. Dill are the parents of four children : William L., Jr., Francis G., James
O. and John H. The two younger children of Mr. Gorman, Angelo and Jes-
sica B., are unmarried, and reside in Hartford with their mother in the hand-
some house purchased some years ago by Mr. Gorman, at No. 131 Asylum
avenue.

Mr. Gorman's popularity has already been hinted at in the course of
this sketch and, in truth, he enjo3'ed this distinction in no common measure.
His personality was an unusual one, and as the host of a popular hotel he
was throvNrn in contact with the greatest number and variety of persons,
from all of whom, with his quick wit and comprehension, he gained some
new outlook on life or interesting information. These he assimilated to his
originally witty and wise viewpoint and philosophy, so that there were few
men in the community better fitted to entertain a company or offer good
advice to those who needed that commodity. Added to this that his nature
was a most open and kindly one, and that he was ready to hold out the hand
of friendship and assistance on all occasions and the basis of his popularity
may readily be conceived. He was liberal to a degree in both senses of the
word, his hand being no more willing to dispense material aid than his
heart to give sympathy and a broad human understanding to the difficulties
of others. He was eminently the tolerant man, the philanthropist, not in its
formal sense merely, but in contradistinction to the misanthrope, the man
who knew human nature and was in love with it. To a man of such charac-
ter, especially where it is accompanied by clear-headed practical sense and
no lofty scorn of the humble requirements of daily existence, success was
natural, and rarely has success been better merited than by this kindly
gentleman who, always intent on his own legitimate business, never injured
another knowingly, and won and gained the respect and affection of the
entire neighborhood.

ifKlrs. Hannal) Wlorcester (gage

^HE prosperity of any community, town or city depends upon
its commercial activity, its industrial interests and its trade
relations, and therefore among the builders of a town are
those who stand at the head of its business enterprises. Mrs.
Hannah (Worcester) Gage, of Hartford, Connecticut, is a
woman who has done her full share in increasing the busi-
ness activity of the section of the country in which she
resides, in which she is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, woman, in point
of years of residence. Her paternal ancestors, the Worcestors. were early
settlers in New Hampshire. They were civilizers and patriots, and their
name appears in the muster rolls of both the French and Indian and the
Revolutionary wars. The various town records show conclusively that citi-
zenship and duty have always been synonymous terms with this family;
that they have borne their part "each in their generation" in the public
affairs of the community in which they have lived. The long list of clergy-
men, the graduates of Harvard College and other institutions of learning,
are evidences of their scholarly attainments; and the muster rolls of the
army and navy from the earliest settlement of our country to the present
time prove their patriotism to have been of the order that counted not the
cost when their country's flag was assailed.

Mrs. Gage was born in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, August lo, 1826,
daughter of Joshua Worcester and his second wife, Lydia (Whipple)
Worcester. The Worcesters were formerly of Boston, Massachusetts. Mr.
Worcester was a farmer, and his death occurred when Mrs. Gage was but
seven years of age. Her mother took a little house on the river road, and it
may be said that from that time Mrs. Gage, as she humorously expresses it,
"commenced to scratch for myself." This "scratching" has never ceased,
and she now pays taxes on no less than fourteen thousand dollars worth of
property. She has, and looks after, sixteen tenements and three stores. In
her childhood she had but little time for school attendance, but her education
has not suffered to a noticeable extent. She has always kept abreast of the
times by reading current literature, and many of the old standard authors —
Dickens, Thackeray, Bulwer, etc. — are still her favorites. All her life she
has kept herself well posted in business affairs, and has not neglected to
keep herself well informed on the political questions of the day, so that, were
she to vote, she would be an intelligent supporter of the principles of the
"Grand Old Party." She was married at the age of nineteen years, in the
Universalist Church, to Joseph Gage, a native of Jaffrey, New Hampshire,
and a son of Jonathan and Hannah Gage.

The family of Gage, which is of Norman extraction, derived its descent
from De Gaga, Gauga or Gage, who accompanied William the Conqueror to
England in 1066, and after the Conquest was rewarded with large grants of
land in the forest of Dean, and the county of Gloucester, adjacent to which
forest he fixed his abode and erected a seat at Clerenwell, otherwise Clare-
well. He also built a large mansion in the town of Chichester, where he died,

Qirs. I^annal) moue^tet (Sage 459

and was buried in the abbey there; his posterity remained in that country
for many generations, in credit and esteem, of whom there were barons in
ParHament in the reign of Henry II. The first to come to this country was
John Gage, of the ninth generation, and he arrived here in 1630.

Joseph Gage grew up on the farm in Jaftrey, New Hampshire, and
attended the common school of that district. In early manhood he was a
traveling salesman for a wholesale woodenware house, made trips up and
down the Connecticut river, and located his young bride at the point nearest
the scenes of his activities at the time. Later he was engaged in excavation
work for a short time. About 1850 they came to Hartford, Connecticut,
and subsequently opened a market for the sale of meat, butter, eggs, etc.,
their business being transacted in a room at the northwest corner of Main
and High streets. This was before the days of railroads and street cars,
and the young couple made the trip to New Hampshire from Hartford on
a visit in a stage coach. Their place of business soon became a popular trad-
ing center with the residents of Hartford as well as with the farmers of the
outlying sections. Money was a scarce commodity in those days, and when
Mr. Gage's landlord wanted to raise his rent to the (then) large amount of
forty dollars per month, Mr. Gage decided to put up temporary quarters for
his market on High street, just around the corner. This place proved more
than temporary, as it is still standing in good condition. On April 17, 1884,
Joseph Gage died, and although he had been a prudent and industrious man,
his investments were of such a nature that at the time of his death he was
ten thousand dollars in debt. Nothing daunted, Mrs. Gage at once obtained
the necessary permission to carry on the business, and since then has not
only paid ofif the debt of ten thousand dollars, but has accumulated a con-
siderable amount of property, and at the same time given her children excel-
lent educational advantages. She says she has never had time to affiliate
with any particular church, but her friends aver that she is, in thought and
deed, a truer Christian than many who never miss a church meeting. She
has a very modest opinion of her own abilities, and sees nothing remarkable
in what she has accomplished. She says she sees no reason why anybody
could not have done as much and even far better. But it is a well established
fact that in this day and this generation few would have had the courage,
the energy and the ability to do as she did at the time of the death of her
husband. During the winter of 1914 Mrs. Gage fell and dislocated her hip;
she is now well on the road to recovery, and will soon be able to take up her
business responsibilities again, if it can be said that she ever laid them aside,
for her mind retained its activity, even while her body was necessarily
inactive for a time. She has seen her section of the city grow from a settle-
ment of a few scattered buildings to an important business center.

Mr. and Mrs. Gage had children: i. Frank E., married Nancy Hare,
and of their three children, two died young, the third, Harry, married,
and lives in Philadelphia; he is a famous cartoonist. 2. Gertrude, who mar-
ried F. William Jordan, and has one child, Frederick William. 3. Mary G.,
who married Henry W. Irving, cashier of the Connecticut River Banking
Company, at Hartford, Connecticut, and has one child. Dr. William Irving,
who married Dr. Emma Lootz, resides in Washington, District of Columbia,
where they are both in active practice; they have children, Selma and
Henry W.

lEilliam jSosttotcfe

^HERE are few types making a stronger appeal to the imag-
ination, and few that are more worthy of love and venera-
tion than that of the strong yet gentle, the highly cultured
yet democratic New Englander with which history makes
us familiar. The type is in a great measure disappearing,
and, indeed, so far as the "dreary intercourse of daily life"
would show, has disappeared to all practical purposes.
Nevertheless, although we meet with him rarely enough in all conscience
to-day, the New Englander of history and tradition, with his virtues which
seem at once of the aristocracy and the democracy, is distinct enough in the
memory of most of us, where it is cherished as one of the happiest of our
associations. The late William Bostwick, of New Milford, Connecticut,
whose simple career forms the subject matter of this brief article, was a
native of New Milford and spent practically his entire life in that town, and
his death, which occurred there April 6, 1901, deprived it of one of the oldest
of its citizens.

William Bostwick was born in New Milford, December 16, 1820, the
youngest of the four children of Solomon and Anne (Wells) Bostwick. He
was a member of a very old Connecticut family, the oldest in New Milford,
indeed, an ancestor having been one of the twelve men who originally set-
tled the town. The founder of the family in this country was Arthur Bost-
wick. who came originally from Cheshire, England, somewhere about the
year 1648, and with his son, John, settled in Sti-atford, Connecticut. It was
a great-grandson of the founder, Benjamin Bostwick, who first came to the
charming region of New Milford. where his descendants have dwelt ever
since. The name of Benjamin Bostwick appears on the first petition of the
plantation to the General Council, dated 171 1, and his wife, Zeruia (John-
son) Bostwick, was the first bride in the town. It was not alone on his
father's side of the house that Mr. Bostwick inherited the splendid sterling
traits of Puritan forbears. His mother also, Anne (Wells) Bostwick, was
a member of a distinguished family and was descended from Governor
Wells, of Connecticut. He was connected on every hand with many of the
foremost families in New England.

As a child, Mr. Bostwick attended the local public schools, where he
received an excellent education which his ready wit and alert mind turned
to the best advantage. Upon the completion of these studies he turned
directly to the business that was to engage his energies throughout his life,
that of farming. He was the owner of a large property in real estate in the
district which included a number of large and valuable farms. With the
exception of a short period when he made his home in the nearby town of
Sherman, Mr. Bostwick lived without interruption in New Milford, his last
home on Elm street being inhabited by him for some thirty years. He was
extremely successful in his farming operations, and enjoyed the reputation
of great good judgment, as well as of unimpeachable integrity, in all his

/7y6'^<^^«-<s<-'*^u^ /^^yc/VyiZ^/^t-^/ft.

SiQilliam 15osttoicb 461

business relations. Mr. Bostwick married, January 5, 1842, Maria Sanford,
of Gaylordsville, Connecticut, a daughter of Ebenezer and Eunice Abigail
(Knapp) Sanford, of that place. Her grandmother was a Miss Sherman, a
sister of Roger Sherman. Mrs. Bostwick survived her husband about nine
years, her death occurring March 21, 1910. There were two daughters born
to them: i. Cornelia, who became Mrs. John E. Northrop, of Sherman,
Connecticut, and is now deceased; had one daughter Isabel, married Rev.
Edward M. Chapman, Congregational minister of New London, Connecti-
cut, and has two children — Edward Northrop and Lucia Tulley. 2. Ann
Eliza, who now resides in the old Bostwick mansion in New Milford.

William Bostwick was a man of most retiring disposition, of great
personal self-control, one who found his chief happiness in the society of his
own household, and very rarely was absent from home, save when busi-
ness demanded it. During the latter years of his life he was a great sufiferer
from ill health, but bore the pain and discomforts of which he was the victim
with the greatest courage and patience, so that he left no heritage of sorrow
and mourning in connection with his old age. No remarks upon his life,
even the most brief, would be complete without reference to his religious
life. As early as 1838 he identified himself with the Congregational church,
when he was but eighteen years of age, and from that time onward until age
and failing health interfered, he was an attendant upon divine service. But
though he was eventually obliged to give up his attendance save when con-
ditions were most favorable, yet he never lost his interest in the church, but
remained to the last a generous supporter of its interests, having given
largely to the improvements undertaken shortly before his death. Indeed,
one of the last acts of his life was a further bequest for this purpose. Sin-
cerity and conscientiousness were the keynotes of his character, and, as is
universally the case, these qualities made themselves apparent in every act
and. as it were, irradiated from his whole personality, so that all recognized
their presence and accorded him the respect and honor due for it. His life
was useful and long, extending more than ten years beyond the allotted
three-score years and ten.

(BtovQt ^Robert Steele

HERE are times when, in the perusal of the records of promi-
nent men, especially those who have won their successes
early in life, we are inclined to feel that destiny has her
favorites, with whom she deals with partiality, conferring
upon them favors of all kinds which she withholds from
other men, talents, abilities, qualities of mind and spirit,
which make smooth to their feet paths, roughest to others,
and which help them with comparative ease to achievements, of which the
average man often entirely despairs. Yet a closer examination generally
dispels this illusion. Men, indeed, are given talents above the ordinary, but
none are reprieved from the necessity of using them, and we have it upon
the highest authority that in proportion as we receive so we must render
again in the final account. No, the man of talent is not commonly the one
who works least, but rather the most, and his accomplishments are more
generally the result of efforts from which we would be apt to shrink, than
the spontaneous fruits of uncultured abilities, for there is a very great ele-
ment of truth in the pronouncement of Carlyle that genius is merely an "infi-
nite capacity for taking pains."

Such was certainly the case with the young man whose name heads this
memorial, and whose untimely death on January 20, 191 1, so abruptly cut
short, at the age of fifty years, a career at once brilliant and full of value for
those about him. Possessed, as he undoubtedly was, of many enviable capac-
ities and traits of character, it was by an earnest and conscientious use of
them that he rose upon the ladder of success, and won for himself the right
to that title, indigenous in this country, of self-made men.

Mr. Steele was born December 15, i860, in Westfield, Massachusetts, a
son of John W. and Jeannette T. (Begg) Steele. His father died while he
was a child of fourteen years, and he thereafter lived with his mother in
Hartford until the age of twenty-one years. William Begg, an uncle, was a
man of broad mind and sympathies, and took a great interest in the training
and education of his nephew, and the latter's little sister, Mary Adella, now
Mrs. William L. Linke, of Hartford. At the age of fourteen he began to
learn the druggist business in Hartford. Mr. Steele was not one to neglect
opportunities thus opened to him, but worked hard, so that with his natur-
ally facile and apt mind he absorbed all the good that was to be found in the
courses that lay open to him, winning the affection and regard of his
employers under whom he worked. His first introduction to this new realm
of action and experience was as apprentice in the service of the D. W. Tracey
Drug Company, where he learned the retail part of the business in which he
was to continue during the remainder of his life. After serving his appren-
ticeship faithfully and well, he secured a position with the Sisson Drug
Company, also of Hartford, with which concern he remained until he had
reached the completion of his twenty-first year, this being a wholesale drug
concern. At this time another uncle, George Begg, owned and operated a

(Seorgc Robert Steele 463

dru^a: store at Thompsonville, Connecticut, and thither young Mr. Steele
went and secured an excellent position with this relative. Not long after-
wards, the other uncle, William Begg, bought the drug store, and young Mr.
Steele conducted it most successfully for a number of years. Finally, he
purchased the establishment from his uncle and continued to conduct it
under the name of "The Corner Drug Store," George R. Steele, proprietor.
He remained in the business for upwards of twenty years, during which
time it flourished remarkably and made its owner a well-to-do man, so that
he came to be regarded as one of the most substantial merchants in the com-
munity. Mr. Steele's activities were by no means confined to his business.
A man of strong, vital instincts, he was interested in almost every aspect of
life, and played a prominent part in many of them. He was extremely fond
of social clubs and organizations for the purpose of indulging this and allied
tastes, notably the Masonic order, in which he was very active and worked
his way up to the thirty-second degree. He was devoted to outdoor life and
sports, especially fishing, and he was a member of the Columbus Fish and
Game Club, and took annually two trips to Canada, where he might engage
in these sports to his heart's content. His active mind found a congenial
region for thought among the political problems that were just then vexing
the State and Nation, but though interested, he treated them as purely
abstract questions, save in so far as they afl^ected the casting of his ballot on
election day, keeping entirely within the limits of active politics. His opin-
ions were not the less definite, however, because he chose thus to take no
part in active hostilities, and he was a strong supporter of the principles and
policies of the Republican party all his life.

One of the greatest and most characteristic talents of Mr. Steele was
that for music, and one to which a great deal of his time and attention was
devoted. He had a beautiful baritone voice which was finely cultivated, and
he often accompanied Rev. Dr. Parker to the hospitals on Sunday after-
noons and sang to the patients there. The first public singing engaged in
by Mr. Steele was in the great choirs with which Moody made musical his
famous revival meetings, at the time he being only fifteen years old. He later
became well known as a vocalist of ability, and was in great demand for
funerals. Indeed, he organized a quartette for this very purpose, of which he
was the leader, and in which Mrs. Steele, his wife, sang the soprano part.
He had estimated, shortly before his death, that he had sung at five hundred
funerals. Besides this he sang with Irving Emerson in the Washington
Commandery Masonic Quartette.

Mr. Steele's personal appearance was typical of his whole nature. He
was large physically and gave the impression of ample power and reserved
energy. Such also was his mental make-up. His body was not larger than
his heart nor stronger than his will. He was one of those men who inspire
confidence at first sight, and who never disappoint the good impression.
Once a friend always a friend was his theory, nor was there any relation of
life in which he was less trustworthy. Those who dealt with him in business
were well assured that whatsoever he engaged to do would be done, and that
with no necessity for insistence on their part. Notwithstanding his great
fondness for the societv of his fellows, he was the most domestic of men, and

464 (Dcotge Botictt Steele

of all social intercourse preferred that of his own household. He was a
devoted son, husband and father, and as there was none, high or low, rich
or poor, fortunate or unfortunate, who did not hold him in sincere affection,
so there are none to whom his death has not brought a sense of loss difficult
indeed to forget.

Mr. Steele married, December 31, 1884, Agnes Elizabeth McCaw, a
native of Thompsonville and a daughter of William and Helen (Hood)
McCaw, highly respected residents of that town. To Mr. and Mrs. Steele
were born two children, who, with their mother survive Mr. Steele. They
are both daughters: Helen A., a student at Holyoke College and a pianist
of marked ability; and Jeannette Agnes, a student in the Enfield High
School.

ISEtUtam ilcgg

^HERE is something particularly instructive in the records of
such men as William Begg, the energetic yet retiring citizen
of Hartford, Connecticut, whose death on December 26,
1914, was felt as a severe loss by a wide circle of friends and
associates, particularly instructive because it was the typifi-
cation of earnest, unwearied effort, because its success was
not the result of some brilliant tour de force, but of the quiet,
conscientious application of the abilities with which nature had endowed him
to the circumstances at hand, because the wealth, position and fortune which
he wrought for himself seem almost to have been no more than an incident
to, a by-product, as it were, of the consistent performance of duty which
found its real end within itself. This was instinctively realized by those
with whom he came in contact, for, despite the substantial fortune he was
known to possess, it was not so much in the character of a man of wealth
that he was regarded in the community, as that of the public-spirited citizen,
a disinterested neighbor whose advice, wise and sincere, could always be had
for the asking. His family on both sides of the house was Scotch in its
origin, and Mr. Begg was a fine example of the best type of that strong race,
thrifty, hard-working, practical. God-fearing and unafraid to speak his
mind. His parents were James and Mary (Steele) Begg, both natives of
that picturesque and romantic region of west Scotland, so intimately identi-
fied with stories of raids and border forays, with William Wallace, the
Bruce and the Black Douglass.

Mr. Begg, Sr., was a weaver of Paisley, near Glasgow, the product of
his mills being the famous Scotch woven shawls, and his wife was born in
Ayrshire. They were married in Scotland and lived there three years before
emigrating to the United States, where they believed greater opportunities
awaited them. They first made their home in New York City, but a little
later removed to Tariflfville, Connecticut, where he engaged in business for
a considerable period. From there he went to Little Falls, New Jersey, and
finally back to Tariffville, where he died about four years later, in 1845. To
them were born five children, all in this country, as follows: George, born
in New York; James, born in Tariffville, Connecticut; William, of whom
further; Mary, born in Tariffville, Connecticut, married John Hunter; and
Jeannette, born in Little Falls, New Jersey, and now the widow of John
Steele, and a resident of Hartford, Connecticut. With the exception of Mrs.
Steele, the children are all deceased.

William Begg, the third child and son of James and Mary (Steele)
Begg, was born in Tariffville, Connecticut, and passed his childhood in that
town and in Little Falls, New Jersey, attending the schools of both places for
his education. Upon completing his studies in these institutions, he left his
mother home and went to Holyoke, Massachusetts, where he learned the
machinist's trade, and by dint of hard work and close application became an

CONN-Voim-30

466 MJIHam 15€QQ

expert and a master of his craft. He entered the employ of the great Colt
Firearm Company at Hartford, and there rapidly worked up to the position
of foreman. His great skill in all mechanical work fitted him peculiarly for
this work and he made himself invaluable to his employers. He earned an
excellent salary at the Colt works, but was nevertheless most economical in
his habits of life, saving every dollar possible in view of his desire to some
day become independent in a business of his own. The opportunity to real-
ize this was not a great while in coming, and he purchased a corner drug
store in Thompsonville, Connecticut, from his brother George, who had
already worked up a good business. Under the capable direction of Mr.
Begg, and his nephew, George Robert Steele, the trade developed to much
larger proportions than it had ever known before, and soon brought in a very
handsome income. Mr. Begg was succeeded in this business by his nephew,
George Robert Steele, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work.
Upon retiring from the drug business in Thompsonville, Mr. Begg removed
to Hartford, Connecticut, where he made his home with his sister. Mrs.
John Steele, at 1339 Broad street, during the remainder of his life. But
though he did not take up any definite business in Hartford, Mr. Begg was
by no means idle in that city.

William Begg took no part in local politics, but he was keenly interested
in all matters pertaining to the public welfare, including political questions,
and few indeed were the movements undertaken for the advancement of the
community or any class thereof that he did not respond to, aiding in all ways
possible such as appealed to him. But though his generosity was not limited
by considerations of any kind save his ability, he was a strong believer in the
truth that charity begins at home, and his kindliness of heart was most of all
noticeable in his dealings with his family and those who held to him the
relation of friend. To his nephews and nieces he was particularly liberal,
making it his personal concern that they should receive the very best of edu-
cations, so as to prepare themselves for the conflict of life, which no amount
of wealth or position can save us from. Nor was Mr. Begg one of those
foolish ones whose affection hopes to spare its objects the normal trials of
life. He knew full well that a certain proportion of trouble and difficulty
serves but to strengthen the mental thews and sharpen the apprehension
needed in its overcoming, and that courses too plain, roads too completely
smoothed, tend only to make incapable those that traverse them. His
object was therefore, to help his young relatives to help themselves, and in
this he showed great good judgment, and spared himself no trouble that
might further this object. His life deserves to be held up to posterity as a
model of domestic virtues, and the more retiring were his own instincts, the
more he shrank from publishing his generosities and charities, the more in-
cumbent is it upon others to publish for him, lest the record of them be for-
gotten and the influence of so fine an example come to naught. Mr. Begg
never married.

%

C.^ci£!;z^y^^^

C. Walter (Saplorti

"N the death of the late C. Walter Gaylord, of Hartford, Con-
necticut, August 17, 1912, the city sustained a loss, especially
in its musical circles, which is deeply and keenly felt, and
which is wellnigh irreparable. Honored and respected by
all, there is no man who occupied a more enviable position.
Of broad, intellectual attainments, his attention was chiefly
concentrated on the art of music, and his presentation of
ideas in this field was as forcible as they were beautiful and melodious. He
always commanded large audiences, and has left the impress of his genius
on the music of the nation.

C. Walter Gaylord, son of Hezekiah and Emily N. (Benton) Gaylord,
was born in Hartford, Connecticut, February 16, 1864, and died at the sum-
mer home of his brother, William A. Gaylord, at Nantucket. From his
earliest years he had shown remarkable love and talent for music, and
adopted this as his professional work. In his sixteenth year he played at
Burnside Methodist Episcopal Church and the following year at Christ
Church, Hartford. The eminent success he achieved in this career proved
the wisdom of his choice. He not alone became a teacher of music, but also
a composer of note, his compositions being chiefly church music. He had
the touch of a master on both the piano and the violincello, and played the
latter instrument in the Hartford Philharmonic Orchestra. At the time of
his death he was the organist of the Wethersfleld Congregational Church,
and he had previously, at various times, been the organist of Christ Church,
the Pearl Street Congregational Church, the South Baptist Church and the
North Methodist Church. He had played both the piano and the violincello
in the Beeman & Hatch Orchestra. The compositions of Mr. Gaylord are
noted for the sweetness and purity of the motifs which run through them,
and for the originality of their ideas.

Mr. Gaylord married, September 15, 1896, Viola H. Parent, a daughter
of Mrs. H. M. Parent, of Cornwall Plains, Connecticut. Mrs. Gaylord sur-
vives her husband, as do his brothers: Edward B., of Hartford, and William
A., of Worcester, Massachusetts, and he is also survived by his mother. The
maternal grandfather of Mr. Gaylord was Charles Benton, at one time
mayor of Hartford.

On Decoration Day. 1914, at Spring Grove Cemetery, Colt's Band,
under the leadership of Scott Snow, played at the grave of Mr. Gaylord an
offertory in B-fiat, which was written by Mr. Gaylord.

Henrp iJlertotn iSallitotn

I^ENEATH all other occupations in point of its essential neces-
sity is agriculture, the foundation of the social structure, the
farmer, the herdsman, holding upon his shoulders, meta-
phorically speaking, the artisan, the merchant, the financier,
the statesman, the artist, the priest. So it is that if one
would learn finally of the temper and strength of a nation or
people, one should turn this same basic class and note what
thev appear. Judged by such a criterion, the New England of our fore-
fathers was a land that might have challenged the world to produce its
equal in strength, virtue and practical ability. Nowhere could be found a
superior farming population, for the farmers of New England were not
merely well educated as a class, but possessed a distinct and characteristic
culture, were amply fitted to take charge of their own worldly affairs, while
from their ranks sprang some of the most capable and original among the
great men of America. An excellent example of the high average of enlight-
enment reached by the farmers of Connecticut is the Baldwin family, which
for many years inhabited the region about the town of Long Mountain in
that State.

David Baldwin, the grandfather of the Henry Merwin Baldwin, whose
career forms the subject of this sketch, was, like all the members of the
family, a farmer. His prosperous farm was situated in the Long Hill dis-
trict, and there he spent the whole of his life, winning the hard but plentiful
living from the soil and taking so active a part in the affairs of the commun-
ity that he became one of the best known men in that part of the State. The
same was true of his son, Andrew Jeremiah Baldwin, who inherited at once
his father's occupation, his ability and popularity in the neighborhood.
This Mr. Baldwin was married to Delia Merwin and it was to them that
Henry Merwin Baldwin was born, October lo, 1857, at the old homestead
at Long Mountain.

Henry Merwin Baldwin, whose death in New Milford, on April i, 1915,
when he was but fifty-eight years of age, robbed the community of one of its
most energetic and enterprising citizens, spent the major part of his child-
hood and youth at his native Long Mountain. He went to the town of
Golden Hill, Connecticut, for his education, it is true, attending there the
excellent school run by Professor Day, but when his labors with book and
pen were concluded, he returned to Long Mountain and embarked upon a
most energetic form of life, farming in the summer and teaching all the
time he was not farming. He was but nineteen years old when he began
teaching school and one of his pupils was his future wife. He continued in
this calling with much success for some years after his marriage. It was in
farming, however, that Mr. Baldwin's real interest lay, and it was there that
he displayed his greatest talent. In fact he was naturally a farmer, taking
intuitively to it and seeming to know, as though by second nature, how
everything should be done. How great was his affection for the life may be

l^entp 6©crtoin "BalDtoin 469

seen in the fact that he eventually gave up teaching and took it up exclu-
sively and that in spite of the fact that he had received a very painful acci-
dent to his ankle that made the v\^ork in the field difficult to him all his life.
From the time when, as a young- man just back from school, he had begun
Vk^ork under his father on the old homestead, the farm began to improve, and
w^hen, finally, upon the elder man's death, the property came entirely under
his control, it rapidly grew to be one of the finest and most prosperous farms
in that part of the State of Connecticut. It was operated in such a manner
that the question of beauty received due consideration, so that it became one
of the show places of that region and was regarded as the model farm in
every aspect. The crop that he raised was tobacco, which paid him very
well, especially as he was phenomenally successful in its cultivation, with a
result that it became more and more the staple crop. Altogether it was one
of the most productive and beautiful spots for many miles around and to the
charm that prosperity and flourishing growth always conveys to the eye was
added the positive beauty of flowers in the greatest profusion, of the culti-
vation of which Mr. Baldwin was passionately fond. He continued in his
favorite occupation until near the end of his life and then, selling the old
place, he removed to New Milford and there made his home. There seems
to be little doubt that his life was shortened by the change, for he was never
entirely cheerful after it, was nervous and worried, missing his accustomed
labors deeply. However this may be. it is certain that death followed closely
upon the changed mode of life.

Like his father and grandfather before him, Mr. Baldwin was an active
participant in the public affairs of the community where he lived so long.
He was a strong Republican in politics, but a Republican by conviction and
for no partisan or interested considerations, as he was extremely independ-
ent in thought and action. He was a member of the school board of New
Milford for some years, but consistently avoided public office in spite of the
fact that his services to his party merited a reward of this kind, and that his
colleagues were strongly desirous that he should accept a nomination of
some kind. He had been brought up a Congregationalist, and attended that
church until his marriage. Mrs. Baldwin was an Episcopalian, however,
and he always attended her church with her.

On September 17, 1879, Mr. Baldwin was united in marriage with Char-
lotte C. Ferris, of New Milford, a daughter of Albert and Jennette (Hill)
Ferris, of whom it has already been told that she was a pupil in Mr. Bald-
win's class when he began first to teach school in that region. To them were
born three children as follows: Alice, who became Mrs. Chester Lyons, of
Washington, Connecticut; Ralph H., who married Flora Benedict, daughter
of Otis Benedict, of Kent, who has borne him one child, Lynn Armond;
Frank Merwin, an electrical engineer of Waterbury, Connecticut. Mrs.
Baldwin survives her husband and still resides in New Milford.

Mr. Baldwin was a man of strong domestic instincts who found his chief
happiness in his work and the intimate intercourse of family life and such
of his friends as were on terms of close personal friendship. His character
was a strong one and his affections and tastes were also positive and strong,

470

f^tmif a^ettoin laalDtofn

as he so forcibly illustrated in his pursuance of his favorite occupation in the
face of many opposed considerations, not the least of which was the injury
which made much of his task a positive physical pain. The same determined
spirit that he displayed in this matter characterized his conduct in all the
relations of life, yet there was nothing of the aggressive temper about him,
but on the contrary a deep regard for and sympathy with the rights and
feelings of others.

®totgl)t Cbtoarlis itpman

|NE of the prominent figures of recent years in the industrial
world of Hartford, Connecticut, was that of Dwight Ed-
wards Lyman, who for upwards of half a century was asso-
ciated with the great manufactory of the Asa A. Cook Com-
pany, and whose death on July lo, 1915, not only deprived
that concern of one of its most valuable members, but the
whole community of a most public-spirited citizen, a broad-
minded, liberal-handed gentleman.

Mr. Lyman was not a native of Connecticut at all, though the major
part of his life was spent in Hartford. By birth he was a New Yorker, hav-
ing been born in the little town of Deansboro in that State, October 12, 1844.
The first twenty years of his life he spent in his native town, gaining there
his education at the local public schools, and engaged in the usual occupa-
tions of youth. In 1864, being at that time a young man of twenty, he
removed to Hartford, whither his enterprising disposition and the need of
earning a livelihood had attracted him. He found a number of positions
with various concerns, moving about among them for a number of years,
but finally in 1866 secured a place with Asa A. Cook in the business the latter
had established in 1858, and thus began the long association which was only
to be terminated with the death of Mr. Lyman. When Mr. Cook's business
was incorporated under the name of the Asa A. Cook Company, he remained
with it in the office of superintendent, and served in that capacity for many
years, his direction of afl;airs being a model of efiiciency and system. He
was a recognized authority on all sorts of industrial engineering, and in the
practical application of his knowledge was without a superior.

Mr. Lyman took a prominent part in the general life of Hartford and
was a well known figure in social, political and religious circles. Though
himself a native of New York, his family some generations previous had
resided in Hartford and a direct ancestor, Richard Lyman, had been one of
the little band who, under the leadership of Thomas Hooker, had founded
the city in 1636. The original Richard I-yman lies buried in the old Center
Church Cemetery, where so many of the illustrious men of Hartford lie, and
his name appears on the monument erected to the founders. Because of all
these associations as well as his own long residence there, Mr. Lyman re-
garded Hartford as peculiarly his home and it was here that he chose to form
his intimate friendships and other connections. He was a member of many
of the most prominent clubs and organizations of the city, among which
should be mentioned the Hartford Chamber of Commerce and the City
Club of Hartford, of which he was one of the charter members. He was also
a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In religious
belief Mr. Lyman was a Methodist and was for many years associated with
the South Park Church of that denomination in Hartford.

On September 19, 1867, Mr. Lyman was united in marriage with Sarah
A. Lasher, a daughter of Isaac and Mary (Hull) Lasher, of that place. To

472 Dtoigbt (ODtoatDS Lpman

Mr. and Mrs. Lyman were born three children, as follows: Frank Pitkin,
who has been twice married and is the father of four children, Elizabeth
May, Adeline Gladis, Dwight Crowe and Beatrice; Richard Parker, who
married and is the father of three children, Louis Richard, William Gilbert
and Mary Adalaide; Mary Louise, who has been twice married, the first
time to Dr. Fish, and the second time to Orville Clark, of Hartford. Both
Mrs. Lyman and her children survive Mr. Lyman, the former residing in the
handsome family mansion at No. 30 Annawan street.

The character of Mr. Lyman was a forceful one. Perhaps the most
fundamental quality was a deep sense of duty and obligation which found
its expression in the most conscientious devotion to his work and the fullest
discharge of every engagement with his fellows. The possession of this
virtue in itself constitutes a man a valuable member of society and wins its
regard, and accordingly he was most generally admired and his death felt
as a loss to the community. Without showing any leniency towards him-
self in the pursuance of his own tasks, he was tolerant of the shortcomings
of others, and possessed of a most genial manner which made him a favorite
among his associates. He was devoted to the interests of his own family,
ever thinking of and devising means for its happiness, and enjoying the
hours spent in its midst by the side of his own hearth stone. He was a man
of clear judgment and a strong sense of justice and there are many who
recall with gratitude the excellent counsel and advice they have received in
the past from him.

(^^^^^-^!^-<^ /^ .

Isaac iSallitotn ilmtol

'HE State of Connecticut has been especially honored in the
character and career of her active men of industry and public
service. In every section have been found men peculiarly
proficient in their various vocations, men who have been con-
spicuous because of their superior intelligence, natural en-
dowment and force of character. It is always profitable to
study such lives, weigh their motives, and hold up their
achievements as incentives to greater activity and higher excellence on the
part of others. These reflections are suggested by the career of the late Isaac
Baldwin Bristol, of New Milford, Connecticut, who was a man who "held his
head above the crowd" along all the avenues of his many-sided activities,
which broadened into wide fields, his cattle interests extending from the
staked plains of Texas to the vast grazing fields of Montana. He was a man
of strong, inherent force and superior ability, and he stood for many years
as one of the leading men of his section of the State. He was the scion of
pioneer ancestors of the most sterling qualities who contributed largely in
their day for the development of the communities in which they lived, and
the late Isaac B. Bristol was a worthy descendant of his sturdy forbears.
The coat-of-arms of the Bristol family is thus described: Gules, on a bend
argent, three trefoils slipped vert. The crest: An ounce passant sable,
besantee, ducally collared and ^hain reflexed over the back or, holding in the
dexter paw a trefoil slipped vert. Motto: Ic n' oublieray jamais (I never
forget).

Isaac Baldwin Bristol, son of William D. and Eliza (Baldwin) Bristol,
was born in Brookfield, Fairfield county, Connecticut, December 21, 1821.
His father, also a native of Brookfield, born in 1801, was a leading agricul-
turist and one of the most enterprising men of his day. Isaac B. Bristol was
educated in the district schools of Brookfield, at the Quaker school in
Dutchess county. New York, and the Newtown (Connecticut) Academy.
At the age of fifteen years he made his entrance into the business world by
accepting the position of clerk in a store in Brookfield, Connecticut, where
he acquired a fair amount of business experience. His ambition was not sat-
isfied with the narrow environment of a country town and he went to the
city of Bridgeport, which afiforded better and larger opportunities for a
young man of energy and a fi.xed determination to succeed. That he was
not mistaken in this surmise future events have amply proven. For a time
he was a clerk in a store there, during which time he added largely to his
mercantile training, and in the course of time he bought out his employer's
interests and conducted the business independently with a very satisfactory
amount of success. In 1839, ^t the expiration of a year, he disposed of this
business, and then removed to New Milford, Connecticut, with which town
he was practically identified until his death, sixty-five years later, and there,
where he was best known, he had the esteem and respect of his fellow-
townsmen. At first he served in the capacity of clerk, but after a short

474 Ssaac TBalDtoin IStistoI

period of time purchased a half interest in the lime kiln of S. W. Stevens at
Boardman's Bridge. He soon began to deal in cattle and horses, being an
excellent judge of horse flesh, and in order to secure these he made many
trips to Canada, in addition to trips in the southern and western portions of
the United States. For three decades he was profitably engaged in buying
and selling live stock and dealing in farms and other real estate. In 1867
he purchased the Ezra Noble homestead, one of the first houses built in New
Milford, located on Main street, which had previously been remodelled into
a hotel, and for twenty-eight years he conducted it as the New England
House. Being a man of pleasing personality and courteous manners, also a
practical business man, he made the hotel the most popular stopping place
in this region, a reputation that it always retained, and during his long
incumbency as host the traveling public of the day gave him a liberal share
of patronage. He was also the owner of a large amount of valuable village
and farm lands, including three farms in Brookfield and great cattle ranches
in Texas and Montana. In matters of finance he attained no less promi-
nence, and his shrewd, clear-headed opinions were always listened to with
the closest attention. He was, at his death, president of the First National
Bank of New Milford and of the New Milford Savings Bank, having been
for years a director of both institutions. He was also president of the New
Milford Water Company, president of the New Milford Horse Thief and
Burglar Association, and a director of the Bridgeport Wood Finishing
Company. In political aflfairs he gave his staunch support to the Demo-
cratic party, and during his active life he was chosen to many public offices
of trust and responsibility. He represented his district in the State Assem-
bly six years; in the Senate two years; was selectman of New Milford thir-
teen years; held the office of assessor, being reelected to the same, and in all
he served with honor and faithfulness. During his legislative career he had
great influence in securing attention to the measures he supported.

Mr. Bristol married (first) in 1845, Annis Roberts, a daughter of Ben-
jamin and Hannah (Downs) Roberts, and a descendant of Eli Roberts, who
settled on a farm a mile east of New Milford, Connecticut, in 1750. Mrs.
Bristol died in 1894, aged seventy-three years. Mr. Bristol married (second)
in i8q7, Sarah Elizabeth Allen, of New Milford, who survives him. She is a
representative of an old and honored family, tracing back to early days,
possessing a coat-of-arms. as follows: Per bend, rompu, argent and sable,
six martlets counterchanged. Crest: A dove, with wings elevated.

Mr. Bristol passed away at his home in New Milford, November 2,
1905, aged eighty-three years. Although his earthly career has been ended
for a decade, his influence still pervades the lives of men and will continue
to do so in the future, the good which he did having been too far-reaching to
be measured in metes and bounds. He did many good deeds and assisted
many worthy people and enterprises, although always in a quiet and unas-
suming manner, and he left to all who knew him the priceless example of
true business integrity and uprightness of character and conduct. He was
a kind friend, a sagacious counsellor, a dutiful son and a loving husband.
He was known in New Milford as a public-spirited man who could be relied
upon in the furtherance of any worthy purpose, and his death was widely
mourned.

JFreliertcfe a» Crane

jNE OF THE old and distinguished families of Hartford is
that which bears the name of Crane, its members for many
years having taken a prominent and creditable part in the
affairs of the city and identified themselves with the im-
portant public movements and all such enterprises as had
the common weal for their objective. None of them has
occupied a more important place in the life of the community
than the distinguished gentleman whose name heads this brief article, whose
whole life was spent in his native city where he was associated with one of
the great industrial concerns of the place, and whose death on August 12,
191 5, was felt as a very real loss by the community at large. His funeral
services were conducted by Rev. Downs, an Episcopal clergyman. The
parents of Mr. Crane were Dr. Warren S. and Julia (Bull) Crane, highly
honored in the old days of the city, the father having been the oldest dentist
there at the time of his death.

Frederick A. Crane was born in Hartford, Connecticut, June 14, 1838,
and passed practically his entire life there. He attended the local public
schools for his education and early displayed the alert brain that distin-
guished him throughout his life. He had not become settled in business
when the long dreaded struggle between the North and South came to a head
and the two halves of the nation joined issue in the bloody Civil War. Mr.
Crane heeded the call of his country in its need and enlisted as a private
in Company A, Sixteenth Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, Cap-
tain H. S. Pascoe, July 14, 1862, for three years, and at once went to the
front. He saw considerable active duty with his regiment and was at the
battle of Antietam, but the difficulties and hardships of the campaign
developed a weakness of the heart and it was found necessary to give him
his discharge on the grounds of disability. He was discharged, March 27,
1863, at Convalescent Camp, Virginia, receiving a surgeon's certificate of
disability. At that time a personal letter was written by Governor Buck-
ingham to the colonel in command recommending his discharge. After his
discharge he came north and remained for a time, then returned south and
became associated with the offfce of superintendent of negro labor under
Colonel Hanks at Miles Taylor Plantation, and was under the direction of
the provost marshal of New Orleans. This work was looking after the freed
slaves' clothing, feeding and other duties along these lines. About 1864 he
came north and settled at Forestville and was employed in the general store
of his uncle, William Bull, and was afterwards with I. W. Beach. Before
going to the war he had learned the carpenter's trade and after finishing
with I. W. Beach he became engaged with Frank Saxton and others at
Bristol as carpenter and joiner. During this time he took up as a side issue
the running of a pony express to Hartford, going to that city every Satur-
day and taking the packages the people wanted and back; he also brought
the Sunday newspapers, he bringing the first Sunday papers that were

476 iFreDerick 3. Crane

sold in Bristol; this continued for fourteen years. He began with Hart-
ford papers and later took up the agency for the New York papers. He
took orders from a needle to a seal-skin cloak. He left Bristol about eight
o'clock, Forestville at eight-thirty o'clock, and Plainville at nine o'clock.
After he had quit the carpenter and express business, he was in the notion
store of B. O. Barnard at Bristol until ill health caused him to go to the
Soldiers' Home at Noroton, where he spent a year. After his discharge from
there he was employed by the Russwin Company, carpenters and joiners, at
New Britain until two years before his death. On his seventy-fifth birthday,
twenty-one of his shopmates gave him a birthday party.

Mr. Crane was always keenly alive to the interests of his fellows and
enjoyed taking part in the social activities of his circle. He was a member
of many clubs and organizations among which should be mentioned Gilbert
W. Thompson Post, Grand Army of the Republic; Pequabuck Lodge, Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and he was a charter member of the local
lodge of the Knights of Pythias. He was a Republican in politics, but did
not take an active part nor ally himself with the local organization. His
family were Congregationalists, while the family of his wife were Episco-
palians, but neither Mr. or Mrs. Crane united with any church.

On August 28, 1864, Mr. Crane was united in marriage with Ellen M.
Royce, a native of Forestville, Connecticut, born February i, 1848, and a
daughter of Chauncey and Charry (Warner) Royce. Mrs. Crane's parents
were among the earliest residents of that part of the State and her father
was known as the first man to set foot on the famous "Lovers' Rock" at
Compounce. Born to Mr. and Mrs. Crane were two children, as follows:
Chauncey R., who followed the trade of carpenter and joiner until his
decease in 1895; and Lottie E., who died at the age of five years.

It is not the man who holds the most numerous or the most exalted
public offices, nor even he who is most conspicuous in the business world who
always is the most potent influence for good in the community. Of this fact
the life of Frederick A. Crane is a most striking example for. although he
won no formal titles to attach to his name, although the record of his career
contains no account of public ofifices filled, he was instinctively recognized
as one of the prominent and influential men of the city, a remarkable tribute
to the power and virtue of his character and personality.

Cimotfip Cantp

'HOUGH NOT A native of Winsted, Connecticut, nor, indeed,
of the United States, at all, Timothy Canty was a resident of
this town and country since his early youth, and had grown
up and become identified with its development, so that his
death on December 28, 1912, was a real loss to the com-
munity he had thus adopted as his own. Mr. Canty was a
member of the stalwart race, which from the earliest times
has contributed of her best blood to us and has formed so large and impor-
tant a factor in the development of what shall one day be an American
nationality.

He was born in Carah, County Cork, Ireland, April 22, 1845, ^"d i" that
picturesque and romantic country passed the first seventeen years of his
life. Meeting with the same hard conditions, the oppression and lack of
opportunity, which were responsible for the emigration of so many young
Irishmen and Irishwomen, he also lent a ready ear and credence to the
advantages to be found in the young and great republic of the West. Whether
or no the accounts were exaggerated which came to Mr. Canty's ear, he
certainly found his move fully justified, when, in 1861, at the age of seven-
teen years, he set sail from his native land and coming to Connecticut,
settled in Winsted, where he made his home for the remaining fifty-one
years of his life. Certainly he mounted high on the ladder of success during
those fifty odd years of his residence in this country. A youth in a strange
land, unfriended, among unfamiliar conditions, Mr. Canty's alert mind and
strong purpose, triumphed over the untoward circumstances and soon saw
him well started on the high road to success. He began by establishing
a bottling business which was eminently successful and which brought him
so good a return that after a few years of saving he was able to purchase
a cafe on Main, near Chestnut street, which he conducted continuously until
a few years before his death, when he retired altogether from active business.
His cafe prospered no less than his former venture, and Mr. Canty became a
man of large substance, and a prominent figure in the life of the com-
munity. He was particularly prominent in the social and fraternal circles
of the town and belonged to a number of orders and similar organizations.
He was a member of the Torrington Lodge of the Order of Elks; the Court
Highland, of Winsted, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

Mr. Canty was married February 25, 1873, to Miss Mary I. Slater, a
native of Torrington, and a daughter of Thomas and Hanra (Sexton)
Slater, of that place. Mrs. Canty and the five children born to her, survive
Mr. Canty, and she still resides in the handsome home which he left her
on Spring street, Winsted. The five children are as follows: i. Nellie, now
Mrs. James Reliham, of Winsted. 2. William L., now a practicing attorney
of Bristol, Connecticut. 3. Jennie, now Mrs. T. F. Casey, of Torrington,
Connecticut. 4. Anthony, of Norwalk. 5. Leo, now a resident of Winsted.

478 Cimotljg Cantp

Besides his immediate family, Mr. Canty is also survived by a sister, Mrs.
Dennis Haggerty, of Bridgeport.

Mr. Canty was a man the memory of whom will long live in Winsted.
And this is not due save in a minor degree to the prominent position he held
in the business world of that community, nor upon the wealth of which he
was the possessor. It is something deeper than that, and has to do with
the fundamental traits of his character which men instinctively felt to be
sound and wholesome, so that they were drawn to him and spontaneously
believed him to be one in whom they might with safety repose their trust
and confidence. Nor was this feeling ever betrayed in all the many years of
his life in Winsted. An unimpeachable integrity, a keen sense of justice, and
a frank and open bearing, the fruit of a democratic outlook upon nature
and life, were the dominant traits of the man, than which it would be difficult
to find a combination more potent to win the affections of one's fellows.
Easy of approach, with a kindly word and a smile for all who made the
essay, whether high or low, rich or poor, he made the lowliest feel quickly
at home, and, as his heart was large and full of charity for all, it was not
often that those who approached him went away dissatisfied. He was a man
of the widest sympathies and interests and a strong sense of public duty, and
it was rare for him to refuse material aid to any movement which he felt
really advantageous to the town. It is no wonder then that his death was
a loss not only to his immediate family and his large circle of personal
friends, but to the community at large, since there were but few members
thereof who were not directly or indirectly the beneficiaries of his wide
generosity and public spirit.

)enliep

\ death Torrington, Connecticut,
lished citizens, although not an
me so completely identified with
; "New World," during his life,
spent in this country, that he
n feelings and sympathies, and
e by side with the foremost of
in. Mr. Hendey was a member
he Colonial period of American
e complex fabric of American
id whose blood still forms the
eloping nationality. The coat-
Argent, a bend vert, cotised
oting forth new leaves, proper.
England, December 29, 1844,
>f his birth, accompanying his
ited to America in 1848. The
IS in Waterbury, Connecticut,
i;- his education at the excellent
Mr. Hende}^ at the age of
1 removed to Torrington, in
- ^.^^^ ..V. ,.vjiiLiaueu to make his home, and which was the scene of his
busy, active life. He took up his abode in Torrington in 1865, and at once
secured employment with the Turner & Seymour Company, engaged in the
manufacture of machinery, in the capacity of machinist. Naturally of an
alert mind, Mr. Hendey here learned with great rapidity all the ins and
outs of his trade and soon mastered his subject in all its details in a manner
which drew upon him the favorable regard of his employers, and served
him well in his later career. Industrious and frugal, he applied himself to
his task with so much energy, and accompanied it with such strict economy
in his life, that, at the end of five years, he found himself in a position to
embark on an enterprise of his own. In July, 1870, Mr. Hendey, in partner-
ship with his brother Arthur, established the humble beginnings of the
present great concern. The two young men built their own shop on Litch-
field street, a small place eighteen by twenty-four feet in dimensions, and
practically equipped it themselves with the products of their own skill and
labor. The power for the mill was furnished by a small three horse-power
rotary engine built by the brothers themselves for amusement on long New
England winter evenings. This engine is now carefully preserved by the
firm as a souvenir of its humble origin in the past. Here in this small place
the two brothers began their business of making and repairing machinery.
At first the brothers themselves did all the work in the shop, but the venture
prospered from the outset, and at the end of a few months, while the
brothers did not cease themselves to do manual labor, a man and a bov were

478

Cfm

Besides his immediate family, M
Dennis Haggerty, of Bridgeport.
Mr. Canty was a man the m
And this is not due save in a mine
in the business world of that cor
was the possessor. It is someth
the fundamental traits of his ch
sound and wholesome, so that tl
believed him to be one in whom
and confidence. Nor was this fe^
his life in Winsted. An unimpea
a frank and open bearing, the
and life, were the dominant trait
to find a combination more pol
Easy of approach, with a kind
essay, whether high or low, ricl
at home, and, as his heart was
often that those who approache(
of the widest sympathies and inl
it was rare for him to refuse n
really advantageous to the tow
a loss not only to his immedi
friends, but to the community
thereof who were not directl}
generosity and public spirit.

Henrp 3- Jlenliep

ENRY J. HENDEY, in whose death Torrington, Connecticut,
lost one of its most distinguished citizens, although not an
American by birth, had become so completely identified with
the ways and manners of the "New World," during his life,
practically all of which was spent in this country, that he
was the best of Americans in feelings and sympathies, and
made for himself a place side by side with the foremost of
Torrington's native sons as a citizen and a man. Mr. Hendey was a member
of that strong and dominant race which, in the Colonial period of American
history, laid the base upon which the whole complex fabric of American
citizenship has since been built in safety, and whose blood still forms the
most important factor in the veins of our developing nationality. The coat-
of-arms of the Hendey family is as follows: Argent, a bend vert, cotised
gules. Crest : The stump of a holly bush, shooting forth new leaves, proper.
Henry J. Hendey was born in London, England, December 29. 1844,
but only remained a short time in the land of his birth, accompanying his
father four years later, when the latter emigrated to America in 1848. The
first home of the Hendeys in this country was in Waterbury, Connecticut,
and there the child grew to manhood, receiving his education at the excellent
local schools. Having completed his studies. Mr. Hendey, at the age of
twenty-one years, left the parental roof and removed to Torrington, in
which place he continued to make his home, and which was the scene of his
busy, active life. He took up his abode in Torrington in 1865, and at once
secured employment with the Turner & Seymour Company, engaged in the
manufacture of machinery, in the capacity of machinist. Naturally of an
alert mind, Mr. Hendey here learned with great rapidity all the ins and
outs of his trade and soon mastered his subject in all its details in a manner
which drew upon him the favorable regard of his employers, and served
him well in his later career. Industrious and frugal, he applied himself to
his task with so much energy, and accompanied it with such strict economy
in his life, that, at the end of five years, he found himself in a position to
embark on an enterprise of his own. In July, 1870, Mr. Hendey, in partner-
ship with his brother Arthur, established the humble beginnings of the
present great concern. The two young men built their own shop on Litch-
field street, a small place eighteen by twenty-four feet in dimensions, and
practically equipped it themselves with the products of their own skill and
labor. The power for the mill was furnished by a small three horse-power
rotary engine built by the brothers themselves for amusement on long New
England winter evenings. This engine is now carefully preserved by the
firm as a souvenir of its humble origin in the past. Here in this small place
the two brothers began their business of making and repairing machinery.
At first the brothers themselves did all the work in the shop, but the venture
prospered from the outset, and at the end of a few months, while the
brothers did not cease themselves to do manual labor, a man and a bov were

480 ^enrp 31. l^enPeg

added to the working force. From this time on, because of the excellent
management of the two brothers and the sterling quality of the work turned
out by them, there was never a moment's doubt of the ultimate success of
the enterprise, which began a steady growth which finally led to the huge
result to be seen to-day. Before the year was out, or, to be exact, on April i,
1871, the work had already outgrown the accommodations ofifered by the
little shop and an arrangement was made to have a part of the factory
known as the East Branch Spoon Shop. The proprietors of this establish-
ment, noting the fine business methods and success of the brothers, were
very willing to listen to a proposition made them a little later by Mr.
Hendey, that they should join with his brother and he in the organization of
a stock company which should carry on the already well established business.
It thus happened that on August 22, 1874, the Hendey Machine Company
was organized with a capital stock of sixteen thousand dollars and the
present great establishment was fairly launched.

After the organization of the company the next step was to provide
adequate room and accommodations for the operations which were increas-
ing in magnitude continually, and accordingly a new factory was erected on
a site a little south of the large works of the Coe Brass Company, and there
a much more complete equipment was installed than anything which had
been at their disposal before. A new twenty horse-power steam engine
increased in a great measure the capacity of the plant and rendered them
able to accept and finish more work than had before been possible. But the
plant as thus described, though the nucleus of the present mill, gives but a
small idea of what occupies the same property. Indeed the site is about all
that remains the same. As the business grew and modern improvements in
equipment came into vogue, additions and alterations have taken place
which have left but little of the original aspect. The motive power is
changed and electricity has replaced steam, every wonderful modern device
has been installed in use in a machine shop, and the plant to-day gives
employment to six hundred men in its various departments. The capital
stock of this great concern, rightly considered one of the most important
industrial enterprises in the region, has increased from sixteen thousand to
three hundred thousand dollars, and a business is carried on which afifects
the industrial world and supplies a market which is country-wide. Later
Mr. Hendey became the president of the Hendey Machine Company, and
held that ofiice until his death, and it is to his masterly management that the
great development of the business is largely due.

But great as were his labors in building up this large industry, they
did not prevent Mr. Hendey from taking part in the general life of the com-
munity, nor cause him to forget his public spirit and the demands of his
fellow-men. While not actively engaged in politics, he was an interested
observer of the political movements and issues of his day. Nothing was
further from his mind than the desire for public ofiice, occupied as he was
with his own semi-public schemes, but when there developed a popular
demand for his candidacy, he would not refuse. He was the first warden
of Torrington, after that community became a borough, and he later served
as a burgess. In the year 1903 he was elected a member of the State Legis-

I^enrp 31- ^enPeg 481

lature for Torrington, and served his district faithfully and well for one
term, being a member of the legislative committee on manufactures. His
religious afifiliations were with the Episcopal church, and he was a lifelong
member of Trinity Parish of Torrington, and for many years its senior
warden. Mr. Hendey was also a very prominent member of the Masonic
order and was a past master of Seneca Lodge, No. 55, Free and Accepted
Masons.

Mr. and Mrs. Hendey, both of whom are now deceased, were the
parents of two daughters, Mrs. Charles H. Alvord, and Mrs. Charles Palmer.

The character of Henry J. Hendey was what might have been expected
of a man who from such small beginnings accomplished so much. To the
fundamental virtues of a strong purpose, a keen sense and an unimpeachable
integrity, he added that quality, perhaps even rarer, of a genial, tolerant
and democratic attitude towards his fellow-men, which made friends of his
admirers, and bound all those who associated with him in bonds of real
affection. His death, while still in the possession of his faculties, was a great
blow, not only to his immediate family and his many devoted friends, but
to the whole community which had benefited so highly through his efforts
and achievements.

CONN— Vol 111—31

iflfloses laatUtams ilecfelep

N HIS DRAMA of Coriolanus Shakespeare has given us two
characters who deserve a much wider popularity than they
enjoy. These are the two tribunes, stalwart champions of
the people, from whose lips often drop expressions which
we, in our provincialism, are apt to regard as only to apply
to modern democracy. Thus in reply to some scornful state-
ment of Coriolanus himself to the effect that the rights of the
people must bend before those of the State, one of these sturdy democrats
gives voice to the dogma, in diametrical opposition to that which the
"Grande Monarque" has made famous, and exclaims, "The people are the
State." It is in this fact, that the people are the State, that the greatness
of New England consists. She has, it is true, produced many great men,
many wonderful men, poets, philosophers, jurists, statesmen and soldiers,
but it is not so much because of these that we think of her as great as because
her average citizen is virtuous, as because the man we meet on the street
holds his honor above his interest and, while a practical man of the world,
is an idealist withal. At least we can say so much for the generations that
are past and passing, of that which is growing up to-day it is perhaps too
early to judge whether a certain levity typical of the age has touched them
also, but for their fathers we can answer that they preserved the early virtues
of the race, the qualities of perseverance and thrift, a wholesome ambition
coupled with a no less wholesome content with the simple joys common to
all men. The record of a life exemplifying these facts is to be found in the
case of Moses Williams Beckley, whose death at Southington, Connecticut,
deprived that place of one of its foremost citizens.

Moses Williams Beckley was born June 8, 1828, at New Britain, Con-
necticut, a son of Moses W. and Mary W. (Cornwall) Beckley, old and
respected residents of Hartford county. With New Britain he had no child-
hood associations, however, since when he was but two years of age his
parents removed to Southington, where he grew to manhood and which,
indeed, was his home for the remainder of his life. He gained his education
in the excellent schools of the neighborhood and the Lewis Academy, from
which institution he graduated. His business life was connected with but
one concern which he entered as a clerk at the age of nineteen years and was
still associated with at the time of his death. This was the Peck-Smith
Company, manufacturers of hardware on a large scale, by which he was
employed as a bookkeeper in 1847. For five years he held this position and
then for eight years longer served as first accountant for the concern which
had become incorporated under the name of the Peck-Smith Manufacturing
Company. In i860 he was elected secretary and treasurer of the company
and in 1869, when the concern became the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Company,
he was confirmed in the office of treasurer, holding the same until his death.
The business of the concern had steadily grown during the years of his
connection with it and became in time one of the largest manufacturers of

g0oge0 mniiams IBcckleg 483

hardware in the New England States. The care and remarkable business
qualifications of Mr. Beckley were amply shown in his conduct of the various
positions held by him during his connection with the company. Accuracy
was one of his chief characteristics in his work and neither as a bookkeeper
nor later, when as treasurer of the Peck, Stow & Wilcox Company he dis-
bursed from eighty to one hundred thousand dollars a month, did his accounts
ever fail by the smallest margin of a perfect balance. The services rendered
by him to those associated with him in business were of a very high order
and his death was a severe loss to the concern.

Though a man who by no means sought to thrust himself into the lime-
light of public notice, Mr. Beckley was not in the least averse to taking an
active part in the general life of the community and was a prominent figure
in many departments of activity in connection therewith. Politically he
was a strong supporter of the principles of the Democratic party, and was
keenly interested in questions of public policy, although he never allied him-
self with the local organization. He was a member of the Masonic order of
high standing, having reached the thirty-third degree, and was a member
of Friendship Lodge, No. ^7,, Free and Accepted Masons, and of Triune
Chapter, No. 40, Royal Arch Masons. In the matter of religion Mr. Beckley
was not a formal member of any church and never made a public declaration
of faith, but this did not in any way imply a lack of religious belief nor of
the higher feelings that we associate with such belief. On the contrary, he
possessed rather more than most men fundamental religious faith, and those
who knew him best and had discussed such questions most intimately with
him were aware that his opinions were not out of harmony with the tenets
of the Evangelical church.

On June 2, 1865, Mr. Beckley was united in marriage with Elizabeth
Piatt, a native of Middlebury, Connecticut, born November 13, 1837, a
daughter of Joseph P. and Hettie Ann (Thompson) Piatt, of Middlebury
and Southington. Born to Mr. and Mrs. Beckley were four children, as
follows: Grace E. ; Charles W. ; Alice L., who became Mrs. Paul C. Wood-
ruff; and Bertha T. Mrs. Beckley survives her husband and is still a resident
of Southington.

The character of Mr. Beckley has been in a measure indicated in the
above brief account of his career. Quiet and self-possessed, neither a
notoriety seeker nor yet unduly shrinking from notice, industrious, patient,
thrifty, neither hasty nor intolerant, yet definite and firm in his own views,
and above all things honest and outspoken with himself and the whole
world, he was a splendid specimen of that best type of New Englander, a
type that has made this country known and respected around the world.

3(ame0 ifEorrte Harris

AMES MORRIS HARRIS was a splendid example of the best
type of Englishman, the type which has brought to this
country from the earliest Colonial times down to the present,
the virtues characteristic of that strong and dominant race
and laid the foundation of our American character and insti-
tutions. For more than forty years he made his home in the
city of Hartford, Connecticut, identifying himself promi-
nently with its business and mercantile interests, so that his death there on
January 5, 1913, was felt as a loss by a very large circle of friends and asso-
ciates. He was a son of Thomas and Mary (Lynch) Harris, residents of
London, England, in which city his father died while he was still a boy.

He was himself born in London, January 14, 1848, the only child of his
parents, and there gained his education in the schools of the city, and was
still engaged in that task at the time of his father's death. Sometime after
that event, in the year 1864, his mother determined to emigrate to the
United States and join her brothers who were at that time residing in
Windsor Locks, Connecticut. She set sail in that same year and reaching
this country without adventure, made her way to Windsor Locks and settled
there. She brought with her her only child, James, then a youth of sixteen
years, and he being strong and a lad of quick intelligence quickly found
work in the woolen mills of the district. Sometime later they removed to
Hartford and there the young man learned the steam-htting and plumbing
trade and worked at his craft for some time. Eventually, by dint of hard
work and frugal living he was able to set out in business of the same kind on
his own account. This enterprise prospered from the outset and he, in course
of time, developed a plumbing business which ranked among the largest in
the city. He finally took his two sons, John and James, into partnership with
himself, who, since their father's death are continuing the establishment with
a high degree of success. He had been thus engaged for twenty years at the
time of his death and during that time had had his office and shop at No. 548
Asylum street. During the latter part of the time, from the entrance of his
sons as partners, the business was conducted under the firm name of James
M. Harris & Sons, and no house in the city had a better reputation for good
workmanship, first class material and general reliability.

Besides his activity in the business world Mr. Harris was a prominent
figure in the social and fraternal circles of the city and held membership
in many of the organizations there. Among these may be mentioned the
Master Plumbers' Association, and the Fourth Division, Ancient Order of
Hibernians, of which he was the treasurer for many years. He was also a
member of the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
and the Fraternal Benefit League. Though he never took an active part in
local politics nor identified himself very closely with any of the party organi-
zations in the city, and though still less did he seek political preferment or
public office, yet Mr. Harris was interested keenly in the problems of policy

3Iames ^otris I^artis 485

which confronted his newly adopted country, from the time of his coming
here. He g^ave his allegiance to the principles of the Democratic party, and
though entirely unswayed by partisan considerations, was always sincerely
attached to its policies and candidates. In religious faith he was a Catholic
and during all the years of his residence in Hartford was a member of St.
Michael's Church, a strong supporter of its work in the city and of its chari-
table work among the poor, and a faithful attendant at divine service in St.
Michael's Church. He has handed on his faith to his children.

Mr. Harris was married October 27, 1870, to Miss Ann McGeny, a
native of Ireland and a daughter of James and Mary McGeny who lived
and died in that country. Mrs. Harris came to this country while a mere
girl with the rest of her family, which upon the parents' death, emigrated
in a body to this country. To Mr. and Mrs. Harris were born six children,
three boys and three girls, as follows: John, who is now at the head of the
plumbing business built up by his father; Thomas; Mary, now Mrs. Simon
King, of Hartford, and the mother of one child, Gerard; Elsie; Theresa;
James, now a partner in the plumbing business. The six children and their
mother survive Mr. Harris, and are all residents of Hartford.

Mr. Harris was of that most valuable type of citizen who bv faithful
and capable attention to the simple duties of private life, wins, not only
success and wealth for himself, but increases that of the community gener-
ally, while by his example he emphasizes to all his associates the power that
the fundamental virtues of integrity and industry possess even in the purely
material world of business endeavor. In short, who demonstrates the truth
of that wise old saw that honesty is the best policy, a truth that only too
many are prone to forget in the stress of modern competition. While he
rather shrank from than sought public activity, he was never backward in
doing all that he could to aid the advancement of the community, and was
always ready to join any worthy movement to that end in a private capacity.
He possessed in a large measure those domestic instincts and feelings which
are essential to the true and permanent development of family life, and thus
rest at the foundation of society. He was sincerely and deeply attached to
his home and all its associations, and this devotion was extended to those of
his friends who by their worth had truly won that title. His death was a
real loss, not only to those of his immediate household, but to a very large
circle including all his associates, even the most casual.

^eter ilerrp

'HE DEATH OF Peter Berry on March 31, 1896, occasioned
Hartford, Connecticut, the loss of one of its most prominent
citizens, the commercial world of a conspicuous figure, and
his very large circle of friends and associates of a most win-
ning and admirable personality. Mr. Berry was a member
of that strong race, the Irish, which from the earliest
Colonial times has contributed with its blood to the develop-
ment of the American people, and with its intelligence and love of freedom
to the construction of our national institutions.

He was born in Ireland, and passed the first twenty years of his life in
that picturesque and romantic region. His birth took place in 1830, and he
was one of a family who felt keenly the oppressive conditions which in those
days racked his countrymen. Eventually the whole Berry family determined
upon emigration and accordingly his parents and their children set sail for
America in the month of December, 1850. A tragedy overtook them upon
the voyage, for the mother died and it was necessary to bury her at sea. They
did not land until February, 1851, in the port of New York, and as soon as
they did, Peter and his brother John went on at once to Hartford, Con-
necticut, where they settled and made their home. Upon their arrival in
Hartford John at once became a carpenter and followed that trade until the
outbreak of the Civil War. He was a mere youth at the time of this dreadful
occurrence, but he at once enlisted in the Twenty-second Regiment of Con-
necticut Volunteers, offering his life in the service of his adopted country.
It was a sacrifice that was consummated. The regiment saw much active
service, and the young man was wounded so seriously that he died from the
effects shortly after returning home and when only about twenty-one years
of age.

When Mr. Berry of this sketch arrived in Hartford, he found employ-
ment with a wholesale fruit dealer, and thus became associated with a busi-
ness which he was to follow for the remainder of his natural life, for a time
in the service of others, but later on for himself. For a considerable time,
however, he was connected with other houses, before the opportunity arose
for him to embark on his own enterprise. He remained for a time in the
employ of Benjamin Haskell & Company, and later went with Ramsey &
Strickland and Simon Gregory, who were also in the same line. He was
also associated with a number of other houses before he started his own
business, among them being, William P. Williams, A. C. Brewer and Brewer
& Bronson. All these men were dealers in and importers of fruit and with
them Mr. Berry learned tlie details of the trade, and fitted himself for inde-
pendent participation therein.

It was in the year 1884 that he finally severed his associations with his
employer, and embarked on his own account. Several of his sons had reached
their majority at that time, and Mr. Berry took them into partnership with
himself under the style of P. Berry & Sons. The young men ably seconded

Peter ^ectg 487

their father's efforts, and it was not long- before the venture began to prosper
mightily. In the beginning it was of necessity small, but honesty and deter-
mination of purpose, backed up by hard work, were bound in the end to
succeed and the firm soon became one of the leading ones of the kind in Hart-
ford. Indeed at the time of Mr. Berry's death, he did a business which was
exceeded by few houses in the fruit and produce trade in New England. In
another matter he held the record among all his fellow merchants in New
England, that is for length of service, in which no one else in the entire
region equalled him.

But though Mr. Berry's energies were much taken up with his efforts
to build up his trade, this was by no means the only department of the city's
life in which he took an interest and actively participated. Although Mr.
Berry never entered politics, he was a staunch member of the Republican
party, and a strong believer in its principles and policies, and so persuasive
were his words, especially when uttered by one of his personality, that he
may be said to have exerted considerable influence in the realm of politics
entirely in the capacity of a private citizen.

Mr. Berry was married May 3, 1858, to Mary Tracy, a daughter of
Michael and Mary Tracy, who survives him. Nine children were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Berry, as follows: John F., Dennis J., James P., Thomas A.,
and Peter, Jr., all five sons being interested in the firm of P. Berry & Sons,
and now engaged in carrying on the business. There were also four daugh-
ters: Annie E., Margaret C, Mary E., and Theresa C.

It would perhaps be difficult to say what was the chief factor in Mr.
Berry's unusually attractive and winning personality. Those who
approached him were at once impressed with the spirit of simple honor
which seemed to breathe out of the man, an impression which was never
disappointed. Alike in his business dealings and in those more personal
relations which obtain between friends, he was always direct and sincere,
always said just what he meant, and was faithful in his affections and
friendships. His reputation in business was naturally of the highest. He
won friendship too, because of the truly democratic attitude with which he
viewed the world and his fellow-men. No one was ever farther from an
assumption of superiority than he, and he mingled freely and on terms of
absolute equality with even the humblest. His modest and retiring manner,
so attractive to those who came in contact with him, did not by any means
betoken a negative mind. On the contrary he was possessed of the strongest
opinions which he could urge with vigor when the occasion demanded, and a
firm will which no amount of opposition could bend. His relations with his
family might well serve as a model, for he was not only faithful to all, even
the slightest obligations, but his aft'ections for his household were of the
strongest and most disinterested type, and he enjoyed no pleasure so greatly
as time spent by his own hearth in the intimacies of the family. The same
qualities which made his home life so exemplary, made of him the most
devoted of friends and won for him in return the friendship and admiration
of a large circle. There were few men who were regarded with a more univer-
sal sentiment of affection than Peter Berry, and few whose death occasioned
a more universal sense of loss within his adopted community.

3Robert ^rtce

N THE DEATH of Robert Price on July lo, 1912, the city of
Hartford lost one who, though not a native of the place,
made it his home during the major part of his life and be-
came closely identified with the growth of that part known
as West Hartford, where he was regarded as one of the lead-
ing citizens. His family was of English origin, his parents
residing in New Brunswick, Canada, and finally dying there.
They were Robert and Elizabeth Price, the former a shoemaker in New
Brunswick, where he prospered well.

Robert Price, Jr., was born June i, 1835, in New Brunswick, and there
spent the years of his childhood and youth in that healthy and wholesome
life which is growing less common among the young men of this country,
but which is such a splendid training for character — the life of the farm.
He did not receive a great deal of the formal education of the school, attend-
ing it but a short time in the winter, but he was a lad of a bright and
ambitious mind, who made the best of his meagre opportunities in this direc-
tion, and supplemented them to good purpose by reading and the first hand
experience under the observation of nature and life which his environment
afiforded. During the time he was not in school he worked on a farm in the
neighborhood of his native place, and as a woodsman in the forests which
cover so great a part of that region. When twenty-one years of age he was
married to a young lady of Hartford, whose parents had removed from that
city to New Brunswick and brought her with them to the more northern
clime. In this way Mr. Price's attention became directed to the States and
to Hartford, Connecticut, in particular, and it was not long after his mar-
riage that he took his wife with him to that city and sought for employment
there. His alert mind and willingness to work produced a favorable im-
pression upon such men as he applied to, and he was soon engaged in the
manufactory of Smith, Bowan & Company, makers of harness and saddles.
It was not the intention of Mr. and Mrs. Price to remain indefinitely in
Hartford, on the occasion of his first trip to the city, and after three years,
the young couple returned to New Brunswick which they intended to make
their home. During the three years' absence, Mr. Price had by dint of hard
and intelligent work, coupled with thrift, saved up a sufiicient sum of money
to enable him to buy a farm and start it in operation. But although he had
decided upon a farmer's life in his native region, he appreciated the oppor-
tunities which awaited careful investment in Hartford, especially in the
realm of real estate, and he accordingly purchased for himself a city lot
before his departure for the north. For the farm in New Brunswick he paid
the sum of one thousand dollars and it was a great joke with his family, in
view of his other successful investments, that fifty years later, long after he
had become a permanent resident of Hartford, he disposed of the farm for
the sum of five hundred dollars. With most of Mr. Price's ventures in real
estate investment, the result was quite otherwise, but it was not for some
time that he again entered the field. For three years he lived on the farm

doticct Price 489

and then returned to Hartford where he was employed for a time as a book
agent, in which line he met with moderate success. In time he found an
opportunity to enter the service of Arnold & McCune, proprietors of a
butcher shop in the city, and here he quickly learned that business. After
remaining in this employ for some time, he found a better position with
Albert Lee Sisson, a prominent citizen of Hartford who was engaged in the
meat business on a large scale. When he first entered Mr. Sisson's employ,
Mr. Price drove the delivery wagon, but knowledge and skill did not long
escape the notice of his employer, who brought him into the shop and
speedily promoted him, until in the course of a few years he became a partner
in the business. The Sisson family had been for long associated with West
Hartford, and it was through his employer that Mr. Price's attention was
first directed to this quarter, in the development of which he was to play an
important part. After remaining a partner of Mr. Sisson for ten years, he
sold his interest to that gentleman, and embarked upon his enterprise in
West Hartford. He first purchased a tract of seventeen acres in that region
and then opened a meat market and grocery store at Parkville on the corner
of Sisson avenue and Park street. From the outset his business flourished
and his real estate began the inevitable rise in value that accompanies a
growing population. As time went on he invested in other tracts including
forty acres on Park street, and a large farm at Farmington farther out in the
same direction. After conducting his butcher and grocery business success-
fully for a number of years, he sold out and took up the coal and feed business
at Nos. 82 to 92 Francis avenue. This enterprise was as successful as its
predecessor and in it Mr. Price continued until the time of his death, since
which it has been conducted by his son, George T. Price. Mr. Price was also
engaged in horse dealing on a large scale, buying them by the carload and
disposing of them to great advantage in the growing community. One of
his chief occupations consisted in the development of his real estate, and in
the course of his residence in the neighborhood he built and sold upwards of
fifty houses in that district, and all his property there is now divided up into
city lots. In the course of these developments Mr. Price was instrumental
in advancing the community's interests in many ways. It was largely due
to his eflforts that the trolley line in Hartford was extended to reach West
Hartford and Parkville, a factor second to none in the development of these
two places.

It was not alone in the realm of business enterprise, however, that Mr.
Price was of service to this neighborhood, but in well nigh every department
of activity. He was very energetic in local politics, though always from a
disinterested standpoint, and was a staunch member of the Republican
party, and a strong supporter of Roosevelt and his policies. He served for
some time as a member of the Hartford Common Council to the entire satis-
faction of his constituents, whose interests he looked after in a most capable
manner. Mr. Price owned a handsome dwelling in West Hartford, where
he resided during the greater part of the year and where Mrs. Price now
lives, but for the summer months he built for himself an attractive home, at
the popular watering place, Attawan Beach. The religious afiiliations of
Mr. Price were with the Episcopal church, and he was for many years a
member of the Parish of St. James in West Hartford. He was faithful in

490 Kofiert Price

attendance at divine service in the venerable old church which was built in
1730, and an ardent participant in the parish work, and the cause of the
church generally. He held the position of senior warden for a long period
and was a member of the vestry at the time of his death. He was one of
those men whose religion is a very vital thing in their experience, and who,
not satisfied with a merely intellectual acceptance of its doctrines, strive to
translate it into terms of actual life, and make it a practical guide of conduct.
He was much valued by his fellow parishioners, and "The Parish Leaflet,"
the periodical record of the parish, in a notice of him appearing at the time
of his death, said in part: "Mr. Price was a faithful churchman, an upright
and successful man in business, and a devoted father and husband. For
thirty years he had been a communicant of this parish * * * He was ripe fruit
of the Christian Church."

Mr. Price was married, September 13, 1856, in New Brunswick, to Sarah
N. Woody, a native of Hartford, and a daughter of John and Sarah (Mar-
shall) Woody, old residents of what was then called College street, now
Capitol avenue, in that city. Mrs. Price was born in the old Woody house,
but, as has already been referred to in this sketch, accompanied her parents
to Canada, where they intended to make a new home. There she met Mr.
Price, and returned with him to Hartford, and now survives him. To them
were born four children, as follows: George T., who married Alice Rollow,
and by her had one child, a son, Robert R. Price ; Emma D., now Mrs. George
W. Gammack, of Hartford; Sarah P., now Mrs. Arthur J. Hall, of Park
street, Hartford, and the mother of four children, Marion Marshall, Herbert
Price, Priscilla and Marjory; Nettie, now Mrs. Henry W. Bacon, of Beaver
street, Hartford, and the mother of one child, Robert W. Bacon.

Mr. Price was in the best sense of the phrase a self-made man. Begin-
ning life in a small rural district, the son of poor parents, without resources
or opportunities, he developed through his own undivided efforts into a man
of culture, cosmopolitanism and wealth. Virtue and religion he had at the
start, indeed, a heritage from his parents and childhood's environment, but
to these he added the accomplishments of a mode of life which he adopted for
his own. To a strong but healthy ambition, he added those qualities of good
sportsmanship which caused his friends to say of him that he was a "good
loser," and a certain philosophical outlook which kept him calm and un-
ruffled in the face of reverses. He was possessed of an unusually clear mind,
and did his own thinking on all subjects, a reasoner, and brilliant in discus-
sion, to such an extent that many of his friends held he should have fol-
lowed the law. He was, indeed, often called upon to hold informal court
and settle disputes and quarrels among his associates. In spite of these
unusual abilities, and despite his semi-public and business successes, he was
essentially a domestic man, of the most unassuming manner and bearing, a
man with a truly democratic attitude to his fellow-men, a man of tolerance
and charity in whose company men of all degrees felt at their ease. His
qualities were of the kind to win him many friends and the admiration of the
community where he dwelt, so that it was more than his immediate family
who felt the sense of personal loss in his death. Indeed there were but few
of his fellow citizens who did not so feel it, but few who had not benefitted
directly or indirectly as a result of his character and deeds.

3(ci0ept) Cljarles Hatoortl)

"OSEPH CHARLES HAWORTH, in whose death Farming-
ton, Connecticut, lost one of its successful and popular
citizens, was not a native, nor even an old resident of the
town with the life and traditions of which he so closely
identified himself. Whatever its hardships and stern diffi-
culties, life must certainly present an attractive face to fol-
low it under such varied surroundings and in such different
parts of the world. A native of England, he was born in the city of Black-
burn, in the heart of what is probably the greatest industrial region for its
size in the world, Lancashire, and there he passed his boyhood and early
youth growing accustomed to an environment where man seems well nigh
to have crowded nature out of existence with his numbers and huge con-
trivances and devices.

His father was employed as an engineer in a factory of some kind, so
that the growing lad had ample opportunity to become acquainted with the
very bowels of that appalling region, as he helped him at his work in the
intervals of attending the local public schools. Average types do not flourish
amid these surroundings, the mind that is quick and alert by nature and
strong enough to stand the strain becomes still more so from constant rub-
bing with other wits, while the dull are made duller yet. Mr. Haworth's
was of the former variety and he grew up a clever, intelligent young man
with a keen knowledge of human nature and the ability to take quick advan-
tage of such opportunities as offered. Striking indeed was the contrast to
these surroundings offered by the change he made at the age of seventeen
years. At that age, having completed his schooling, he accompanied rela-
tives to America, and went with them to the west, settling in Minnesota.
With him as a constant comrade he had an old friend and fellow countryman,
who shared with him the fortunes of the new land. The two found employ-
ment readily enough in the wilds whereto they had wandered, for work is
apt to be plenty in these frontier regions, and they were quick and able to
turn their hands to whatever offered. Working at now this, now that, they
gradually made their way still further into the undeveloped lands and
reached at length Manitoba where they remained for a time. The entire
period of their more or less nomadic existence in the West occupied some six
years, when the desire for more civilized scenes drew Mr. Haworth back to
the East. He settled for a time in Brooklyn, New York, and there found
employment in a florist's establishment, a business with which he is asso-
ciated in the minds of friends in Farmington. He remained for a consider-
able time in Brooklyn and then accepted a better position of the same kind
in Irvington, New York, a location which was far more acceptable to Mr.
Haworth than Brooklyn, his strong fondness for rural scenes and life being
appealed to by this quiet spot on the Hudson river. From Irvington he went
to Yonkers, New York, and there he secured a position as head man in a
large florist's establishment. Mr. Haworth's final move was made in the
year 1907, when he came to the town of Farmington, Connecticut, where he

492 3losepft Cftatles ^atoortij

took over the business of Mr. Hugh Cheseney, who for some time had con-
ducted a large trade in plants and flowers. Mr. Haworth had been pros-
pering greatly as his successor for the space of one year, when he was
seized with an illness which was closely followed by his untimely death when
only forty-three years of age. Since that time his wife, and eldest son,
Joseph Charles, have continued the business with a high degree of success
and now conduct a large establishment, of a most complete description,
where they have for sale every variety of flower, and make a specialty of
handsome wedding and funeral decorations. They have now five large
houses under glass and employ three hands.

Mr. Haworth was a very active member of the many communities of
which he was at various times a member, and after engaging in the florist
business took a great interest in the general welfare of his fellow florists,
joining the Floral Society and making himself a leader in its activities.
During his year of life in Farmington he displayed his public spirit in many
ways and was always ready to aid with time, effort or pecuniary assistance,
any movement undertaken for the advantage of the community or any por-
tion thereof. He was a man whose mind turned naturally to the solution of
political questions, and he took a keen interest in the issues and problems
with which his adopted country was confronted. He was a strong supporter
of the Republican party, and its principles and policies generally, although
he never allowed partisan considerations to influence his practical actions.
Notwithstanding his interest, Mr. Haworth did not ally himself with any
local organization of his party, nor seek to actively engage in politics. He
was a busy man and had no ambition for political preferment or the holding
of public office. His religious affiliations were with the Episcopal church,
and as in every matter in which he took part, he was active in his church,
taking part in the work of the parish and supporting generously the many
philanthropies and benevolences in connection therewith.

Mr. Haworth was married in Irvington, New York, November 4, 1890,
to Alice Goode, a native of Ireland. To them were born three children, as
follows : Joseph Charles, Alice Lillian and George Raymond. Mrs. Haworth
is a daughter of Thomas and Eliza (Geary) Goode, natives and lifelong
residents of Ireland, he having died there. Their daughter Alice came to
America while she was a mere girl, and making her home in Irvington, New
York, met Mr. Haworth while he was employed in that town and married
him.

Notwithstanding his short residence of but a year in Farmington, Mr.
Haworth had already won for himself an enviable reputation for integrity
and capability, and a large circle of devoted friends. His whole life had
been such as to teach him the value of simple faith and honor and develop
his naturally strong and self-reliant nature. The multitudes of his fellow-
men amid which he lived in his native land, and not less so the stern
elemental nature he encountered in the West, were alike calculated to bring
out the best of a fine character, and not less to crush a weak one. He was a
man of strong domestic instincts and feelings, finding his chief happiness in
the society of his "ain fireside," yet wherever he went he was generally
popular and quickly made himself a leader, and it may be said of him that the
community of which he was a member for so brief a period, is the richer for
his having lived there and the poorer for his loss.

CI)risttan K. (S^eorgia

HE LATE Christian T. Georgia was, during a long and
eminently useful career, numbered among the most highly
regarded citizens of Unionville, Connecticut. His residence
there covered a period of about sixty years, and for fully
fifty years he was actively identified with the life of the
community, his entire success being a demonstration of the
characteristics of his race and nation — integrity, industry,
thrift, and an unswerving pursuit of the desired end.

Christian T. Georgia was born October ii, 1830, in the kingdom of
Saxony, Germany, and he there passed the first seventeen years of his life.
His father, for whom he was named, was a traveling salesman in that coun-
try, and was so successful that he was enabled to afford his son the advan-
tages of a good practical education, and a three years' apprenticeship to the
important trade of wood-turning, after leaving the local volkeschule. He
displayed great aptitude for his trade, and at the age of seventeen was a
master workman. Coming to the United States, he made his first stay in
New York City. Of pleasing appearance and alert manners, he however
soon made friends, and found little difiiculty in obtaining work at his trade.
After about two years he went to Bristol, Connecticut, but soon removed to
Unionville, which was destined to be his home for the remainder of his life,
with the exception of a single brief period. In Unionville he took employ-
ment in the cabinet shop of 'Squire Hitchcock, on the identical site upon
which Mr. Georgia afterwards erected his spacious business block, at Main
and Water streets. After eight years' pleasant association with Mr. Hitch-
cock, Mr. Georgia was called to Thomaston, Connecticut, to perform expert
work on clock cases in a leading clock factory, and this accomplished, he
returned to Unionville. After his marriage he invested in a restaurant.
Some years later he opened a general merchandise store, which under his
masterly management proved to be the foundation of his successful life
work. His business developed and expanded with the growing population,
and Mr. Georgia was soon recognized as the leading merchant of the place,
and as the result of his enterprise and wise judgment, he drew customers
from a surrounding region hitherto unreached by local merchants. Finding
his building inadequate for the needs of his greatly expanded business, in
1886 he erected the Georgia Block — the first brick edifice of its kind in the
town. In this was installed every modern improvement, and in it were
accommodated not only his own offices, but the post oftice. Meantime Mr.
Georgia had been acquiring valuable real estate, and had become a man of
some means. He invested in the West and lost. Until the time of his death
he continued to direct all his varied mercantile and financial enterprises, and
with unfailing success. He took especial pride in his mercantile establish-
ment, which he had himself founded and brought to be not only the oldest
but by far the most extensive of its class in the town of Unionville. During
the last ten years of his life he had devolved much of the business respon-

494 C!)tistian C. (©eotgia

sibilities upon his son, who finally succeeded to the entire management, in
the interests of the estate.

It was not only in business circles that Mr. Georgia found recognition
for his prominence in the affairs of Unionville and its sister town, Farm-
ington. To him the community was indebted for what was at that time a
most valuable advantage — a pure spring water supply, distributed from his
own private reservoir — this and other improvements contributing greatly
to the welfare of an important portion of the town. His business ability and
confidence in his integrity were attested by his long association with the
Canton Trust Company as a member of its directorate. His public spirit
was one of his strongest and most highly appreciated traits, and he was
ever among the most ardent advocates and workers for all movements
undertaken for the advancement of community interests. In politics he was
originally a Democrat, but he was too independent to give a blind support
to his party merely out of partisan considerations. At the time of Grover
Cleveland's first administration, Mr. Georgia's services to the party had
been conspicuously useful, and the newly elected President appointed him
postmaster of Unionville, a position which he occupied with marked ability
until the Republicans again came into power and he was dispossessed. He
was one of the oldest members of the Putnam Phalanx of Hartford, a faith-
ful attendant at its meetings, and a genial companion on the many excur-
sions and visits made by that famous body. He was also a member of the
Improved Order of Red Men.

Mr. Georgia was married to Emeline Gladding, a daughter of Hubbard
and Maria (Belden) Gladding, of New Britain, Connecticut. Her father
was a soldier in the War of 1812. Mrs. Gladding survived her husband
many years, living to the remarkable age of one hundred years, lacking only
thirteen days, and dying in 1899. To Mr. and Mrs. Georgia were born three
children. Charles C, the only son, is a most active and capable man of
affairs, inheriting the fine qualities of the father, whom he has succeeded in
the management of the Georgia mercantile and financial interests, in behalf
of the estate. He is a staunch Republican, and has ever been active in sup-
port of his party. His record of public service is most commendable. He
has served as postmaster of Unionville for the remarkable period of twenty
years; has held the office of selectman in Farmington; and in 1895 was
elected to the Legislature. He is a highly regarded member of various
fraternal bodies. In Masonry he has attained to the thirty-second degree,
Scottish Rite; is a sir knight of Washington Commandery, Knights
Templar; and a noble of Sphynx Temple, Mystic Shrine.

Lillie M., eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Georgia, is the wife of Mr.
Frank A. Andrews; she is a member of the Daughters of the American
Revolution.

Clara, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Georgia, is an elocutionist
of more than local note, and has delighted many discriminating audiences
with renditions dramatic, pathetic and humorous, not appearing upon the
platform except in aid of worthy bodies and causes, and cheerfully lending
her aid to such. She is an active member of the Order of the Eastern Star,
and in 1899 was grand matron for the State of Connecticut, being then the

Cf)ri0tian C. ©eotgia 495

youngest person to hold that lofty position. She is also a member of the
Daughters of the American Revolution. She is active in community affairs,
and is vice-president of the Unionville Library Association.

On July 31, 1912, Mr. Georgia passed away, sincerely mourned by those
who held him in highest regard for his man)^-sided abilities and fine personal
qualities. While a master mind in business affairs, and a genial companion
with men of the world, he was one of the most domestic of men, finding his
greatest delight with his family and in his home, having been a most devoted
husband and father. In 1885 Mr. Georgia, accompanied by his wife, made
a voyage to Germany, and visited the scenes of his childhood, for which
throughout his life he retained a fond and aft'ectionate remembrance. He
came back very much in love with his adopted country and he retained great
interest in its welfare until the end of his life. Mr. Georgia's wife survives
him. She was an admirable companion to one of his disposition and tastes.
A woman of strong yet gentle character, she was all that woman could be as
wife and mother, yet was at the same time a real helpmate to her husband,
who was proud to acknowledge the great value of her advice and wise judg-
ment in relation to his business enterprises at their almost every stage.

laailliam Huntington 3|arbep

T HAS BEEN most truly said that the chief asset of a com-
munity is the character of its citizenship. It avails com-
paratively little that a city or State should be able to point
to its accumulated wealth, its records of past greatness, or
even the brilliant achievements of a few men of genius in the
present, unless it can also say of the bulk of its population
that it is virtuous, enlightened and free. If it can truly say
this then, indeed, may it feel assured that its prosperity is founded upon a
rock and look with complacency into the future. And surely if there is any
community that can so speak of its people, it is New England with its myriad
industries, all the result of the enterprise and intelligence of its sons, and the
great foundation of a strong and educated agricultural people upon which
all the rest of the social fabric must rest as a pyramid upon its base. It is to
this great and admirable class that we must turn to seek the origin and
environment of the distinguished gentleman whose career forms the subject-
matter of this note, William Huntington Harvey. Mr. Harvey's death
January 22. 191 5, removed from the region of Hartford, Connecticut, a con-
spicuous figure in its life, who had long stood as a type of the successful
farmer, the good citizen and the worthy man. He was descended on both
sides of the house from fine old New England families which settled here in
Colonial days, his paternal ancestor being Thomas Harvey, who immigrated
prior to the year 1650, and the maternal being Deacon John Dunham, an
early settler in Plymouth.

William Huntington Harvey was born June 6, 1834, in Glastonbury,
Connecticut, a son of James and Amanda (Dunham) Harvey, formerly of
Mansfield, Connecticut. While still a mere child Mr. Harvey was taken by
his parents to live in Somers, Connecticut, and thence to Windsor, near
Hartford, where he continued to make his home during the remainder of his
life. He received a liberal education and attended the Connecticut Literary
Institute at Suffield. After completing his studies he turned his attention
to farming, the occupation of his forbears. He was eminently successful
in this enterprise, and in due course of time became one of the most promi-
nent agriculturists in that part of the country. He was gradually led to
specialize his products, and finally turned his attention almost exclusively
to dairy farming and the cultivation of tobacco. In these two specialties he
did so large a business that he was able to retire from active life for a number
of years before his death.

The work of farming is not one to allow of much time being spent on
other matters, it being one of the most exacting of all the occupations on the
time and energies of him who follows it, yet so energetic was Mr. Harvey
that he turned his attention to a number of other things. For one thing, he
took a keen and disinterested pleasure in politics, both local and general, and
participated to a considerable extent in the former. He was a man of
strongly independent mind and strongly supported the principles of the

JSilUam I^untington i^artiep 497

Democratic party, making himself a leader, indeed, in the local organization
thereof. He was chosen assessor in Windsor and occupied that ofifice for
several years, and he was also a member of the school board for a long
period. His work in both these capacities was extremely efficient and in the
year 1879 he was nominated and duly elected to the State Legislature,
serving on that body during the session of 1880. In this service, also, he
was of value to his town and won the approval, not only of his constituents,
but of the community generally. Mr. Harvey was a man of strong religious
convictions, in belief a Congregationalist and a member of the First Church
of that denomination in Windsor. He was a faithful attendant upon divine
service and did much to aid the work connected with the church.

On February 3, 1863, Mr. Harvey was united in marriage with Rhoda
A. Griswold, of Bloomfield, Connecticut, a daughter of Noah and Ruth
(Loomis) Griswold, her father a native of Bloomfield and her mother of
Windsor. To Mr. and Mrs. Harvey were born six children, as follows
William Earle; James G. ; Grace H., now Mrs. Orville Smith, of Suffield
Thomas D., married Alice Filley, who bore him one son, William Filley
Etta L., now Mrs. Randolph R. Herriott, of Suffield, Connecticut, and the
mother of two children, Ruth and George; Charles G., married Cora Alford,
who bore him one daughter, Althea. Mrs. Harvey and her six children sur-
vive Mr. Harvey. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey celebrated their golden wedding in
1913-

CONN-Vol III-32

^turgts ^. Curner

^HOUGH EMINENTLY SUCCESSFUL as a business man,
the true measure of Sturgis P. Turner, for many years a
prominent resident of Glastonbury, should be taken as a
citizen, and not merely as a merchant. He was for many
years one of that town's most aggressive and wide-awake
men, active in every public enterprise, a factor in shaping
political affairs, and a citizen whose influence, while wide,
was of that silent character which impressed the more deeply. He was un-
ostentatious, courteous and accommodating, and was held in high esteem.

William H. Turner, the great-grandfather of Sturgis P. Turner, was
born in 1764, and as a bright eyed boy in Boston attracted the attention of
Elizur Hubbard, a merchant of East Glastonbury, who was visiting in
Boston, and whose liking for the vivacious youngster was followed by a
proposition to the boy's mother to give him a good business education. She
consented, and the Massachusetts boy became identified with the interests
of Glastonbury. He became a sailor and married Mercy Wrisley. born in
East Glastonbury in 1771, and to them were born nine children, of whom the
eldest, William H., born in 1788, was the grandfather of Sturgis P. Turner.
The grandfather was a ship builder, and master of a coasting vessel. In
1812 he married Mary Nicholson, who died in 1813, leaving one child, who
died in infancy. For his second wife, William H. Turner married Bathsheba
Brewster Wrisley, a native of Marlboro, daughter of Samuel and Mary
(Hu.xford) Wrisley. Samuel Wrisley was a Revolutionary soldier, a "con-
ductor of teams" and a captain in his regiment.

The third child and the second son of William H. and Bathsheba B.
(Wrisley) Turner was Welles Turner, father of Sturgis P. Turner, born
November 13, 1828, on the Turner homestead on the west side of Main
street, Glastonbury, near station No. 45 of the trolley line. Welles Turner
received a good academic education, attending the South Glastonbury
Academy under Orange Judd, who gave $50,000 to Wesleyan University,
and also under Henry L. Wells, later a millionaire of Minneapolis, Minne-
sota. Leaving school, he began his career as a clerk in the dry goods store
of H. B. Chaffee & Company, which stood on the ground in Hartford now
occupied by Sage, Allen & Company. E. S. Cleveland, postmaster at Hart-
ford under Presidents Lincoln and Johnson, was a fellow clerk in that store.
Later Mr. Turner clerked for two years in the store of J. Gordon Smith, and
then in 1852 moved to South Glastonbury and opened a general store which
he conducted for four years. He married, October 2, 1854, Isabella P. Ben-
ton, born in Glastonbury in March, 1830, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth
(Plummer) Benton. To them was born one son, Sturgis P., of whom
further. The wife and mother died November 8, 1856, and after her death
the bereaved husband gave up his mercantile business and retired to the
old homestead where he resided, a highly esteemed citizen of Glastonbury.
He was a Democrat in politics, and was the first registrar of voters at Glas-

Sturgfs p, Curtice 499

tonbury. Fraternally he was a veteran member of Columbia Lodge, No.
25, Free and Accepted Masons, of South Glastonbury, which in 1896
celebrated its one hundredth anniversary.

Sturgis P. Turner, born October 16, 1856, was but a few weeks old when
his mother died. He was reared from infancy at the home of Dudley Lee
and wife, at Glastonbury, remaining there until twenty-one years of age.
As a boy he worked on the farm and attended the third district school of his
native town, his first teacher being Miss House. He also attended the schools
of Mrs. Cook and Mrs. Noyes, and later attended the academy at Glaston-
bury, when L. S. Brown was principal. In May, 1878, he went to New
Britain and entered the employ of the New Britain Knitting Company as a
general helper. He worked until October of the same year at $1.25 per day,
then returned to his home in Glastonbury, and the following spring leased
his father's farm. This he managed four years, and while so engaged, in
the fall of 1879, he married Harriet (Hattie) A. Welles, who was born Sep-
tember 21, 1856, youngest daughter of Frederick and Catherine (Saltonstall)
Welles. To them was born one daughter, Isabella Benton.

The mercantile career of Sturgis P. Turner began March 15, 1883, when
he purchased the store of P. H. Goodrich, at Glastonbury. This he con-
ducted most successfully, and from time to time added extensively to the
stock, introducing among other lines, boots and shoes and drugs. Mr.
Turner was one of the wide-awake and prosperous business men of the town.
He was one of the incorporators, and the first president of the Eagle Sterling
Company, was later treasurer for a time, and was prominently identified
with the company until February, 1898. In politics Mr. Turner was a
staunch Republican, and he was one of the most active workers for the
success of that party. It was through his efforts and those of others that
the town, which was formerly Democratic, joined the column of Republican
towns. He represented Glastonbury in the State Legislature in 1884, and
again in 1888, and was one of the youngest men who ever represented the
town. Politically he was one of the leaders in Glastonbury. He was a
prominent member of Dascom Lodge, No. 86, Free and Accepted Masons, at
Glastonbury. Mr. Turner died January 28, 1916. Mrs. Turner is a member
of the Congregational church. Her home, erected in 1888, is one of the
finest and most modern in Glastonbury.

Hon. JFretiertcfe Witllt^

ON. FREDERICK WELLES, who was for many years a
leading resident of Glastonbury, was a worthy representa-
tive of a family which has been prominent in the history of
the country from an early day. He was a direct descendant
of Governor Thomas Welles, who died in 1660, and was of
the fifth generation in descent from Samuel Welles, a noted
man in his day. Gideon Welles, a member of President
Lincoln's cabinet, was a second cousin of Hon. Frederick Welles. The
family has been identified with Glastonbury for more than two hundred
years.

Joseph Welles, grandfather of Hon. Frederick Welles, was born No-
vember 9, 1756, a son of Captain Samuel and Lucy (Kilbourn) Welles. He
died September 7, 1808, leaving a fair competence, gained by an extensive
trade with the West Indies. His brother Samuel was in partnership with
him in this business, and for many years they were engaged in sending hay
and horses to the islands, bringing back rum and molasses. Joseph Welles
also conducted the "Welles" Hotel at Glastonbury to meet the demands of
the stage travel of those days. He was an outspoken man, somewhat stern
in manner, but was much respected in the community. He married Susan-
nah House, born October 9, 1756, daughter of Benoni and Susannah (Hol-
lister) House. She survived him and married Gad Talcott, of Hebron, Con-
necticut, where her death occurred April 6, 1826. Joseph and Susannah
Welles had the following children: Susannah, born April 3, 1780; Joseph
and Leonard (twins), born April 15, 1781 ; Leonard (2), of whom further;
Joseph, born March 31, 1784, who settled in Ohio; Lucy, born February 6,
1786; Clarissa, born March 3, 1787, and Lucy, born November 21, 1790.

Leonard Welles was born in Glastonbury, April 28 1782, and as his
health was poor in early life he spent much of his time at his father's hotel.
He also taught school for a time, but after his marriage to Sally Sellew,
which occurred October 13, 1804, he engaged in farming. He located at the
corner of Main street and Naubuc avenue, where Miss Alice Goodrich later
resided, and by his industry and close attention to business made a good
income, though he was never considered a rich man. To politics he gave but
little heed, but he affiliated with the Whig and Republican parties on national
issues. He lived to the good old age of ninety years, keeping his health and
faculties almost to the last, and when seventy years old he drove a wagon
with two yoke of cattle and a horse for forty days in succession, between
Glastonbury and Hartford, taking fifty hundredweight of tobacco and bring-
ing back a load of lumber. He was fond of his home and family and to each
of his boys he gave $500 as they came of age, their remarkable financial suc-
cess being a source of pride to him in later years. In religious faith he was a
Congregationalist, and as a citizen he was held in high esteem. He died at
his homestead, January 19, 1873. His wife, who died November 5, 1859, was
born November 15, 1784, daughter of John and Sally (Smith) Sellew. Her

!^on, JFtcDetifk mtlltn 501

twin sister Nancy married Norman Hubbard, of Glastonbury. Children:
I. Oswin, born January 19, 1809, was a pioneer tobacco packer of Glaston-
bury and the most successful man of his day in his town. As a young man
he learned the cabinet-maker's trade and engaged in the manufacture of
tubs, pails, chairs, and later, cigar boxes, but seeing the possibilities in the
tobacco business he began dealing in that commodity both in leaf and in
cigars. A shrewd business man financially, he was also generous, and his
affection for his family was shown in his treatment of his brothers, whom he
took into partnership, all of them becoming wealthy men. He was a remark-
able man in many ways, and it was characteristic of him to never hurry, yet
always be on time. He married (first) Sarah A. Goodrich, of Portland,
Connecticut, (second) Helen Penfield, (third) Kate Cofifin. He died August
9, 1879, in Hartford, where he had lived some years previous, enjoying the
fruits of a highly successful life. He had seven sons, but only one, Cassius,
lived to maturity, he died at thirty-nine years of age. 2. Nancy, born Sep-
tember 6, 181 1, married Joseph Edwards Goodrich, of Portland, and died
December 20, 1891, in Glastonbury. 3. John S., born February 13, 1814,
was a tanner at East Haddam, Connecticut, until 1856, when he removed to
Glastonbury and became associated with his brothers in the tobacco busi-
ness, accumulating a large property. He married Maria H. Chapman, of
East Haddam, Connecticut, and his death occurred December 29, 1888. 4.
Leonard T., born February 23, 1818, died September 11, 1879. He married
Lucy Carter. 5. Henry, born October 24, 1821, died January 17, 1853, in
Glastonbury. He married Delia Bartholomew, of Wallingford, Connecti-
cut. 6. Frederick, of whom further.

Hon. Frederick Welles was born in Glastonbury, February 13, 1825,
and was educated there, attending the common schools until the age of
twelve, and a select school for five years following. He was reared to work,
gaining valuable practical ideas from his father, and as a boy he began to
plan for business life, the success of his brothers in the tobacco business
naturally inclining him to that line of effort. His brother Oswin employed
him for three years at $1.50 per day, and in 1856 he became a member of the
firm of O. Welles & Company, with which he remained thirteen years, until
in 1869 he engaged in buying tobacco on his own account. In 1884 he
retired, but he grew tobacco for a number of years thereafter, partly as a
pastime, having always been interested more or less in that work. He had
had a larger experience with tobacco than any other man in Glastonbury,
and was considered one of the best judges of the weed in this State. Mr.
Welles' business methods were always straightforward, his word being as
good as his bond, and while he paid every penny of obligation he expected
the same upright dealing in return. He was fond of good horses and some
fine specimens were usually to be found in his stables. In politics he was a
Republican, of Whig antecedents, and at one time he represented his town
in the State Legislature, but he preferred business to public life. When the
Grange was organized in Glastonbury he became a member and from 1849
to his death he was identified wth the Congregational church at Glaston-
bury, declining, however, to hold office in the society.

On December 9, 1846, Mr. Welles was married, at Glastonbury, to

502 l^on. jfreoeticb COellcg

Catherine Saltonstall Welles, and they passed more than fifty years of happy
wedded life, their golden wedding having been suitably observed in 1896.
Both were well preserved in mind and body, and their geniality enabled
them to keep in touch with younger generations to a marked degree. Mrs.
Welles was born in Glastonbury, May 17, 1826, daughter of Dorrance and
Amelia (Goodrich) Welles, attended the schools of the third district and
later a select school in Glastonbury, and a private school at Portland, Con-
necticut, and for some time taught school at $1.50 per week "boarding
'round" among the patrons after the custom of that day. She united with
the Congregational church at Glastonbury in 1845, and was always a sym-
pathetic helpmeet to her husband in the various duties of life. Two children
blessed their union: i. Sarah A., born January i, 1854, married H. J.
Curtis, of Hartford, and has two children: Alice Louise, who graduated
from the Hartford Public High School, and is now attending Smith College,
Northampton, Massachusetts, and Mary Bertha, who graduated from the
Hartford Public High School, in June, 1899. 2. Harriet A., born September
21, 1856, married S. P. Turner, of Glastonbury, and has one child, Isabella
Benton, who is a graduate of Steel's Select School, Hartford.

Mrs. Welles was a descendant of Governor Thomas Welles, the line
being traced as follows: Governor Thomas Welles (died in 1660) ; Samuel
(died in 1675) ; Samuel (1660-1731) ; Thomas (1693-1767) ; Jonathan (1732-
1792) ; Gurdon (1773-1852) ; Dorrance (1799-1887). Dorrance Welles, born
May 3, 1799, married Amelia Goodrich, born in 1802, and they died De-
cember 25, 1887, and June 12, 1877, respectively. He was a Republican in
political sentiment, and a great worker for the success of his party, but he
never sought office. In 1844 he joined the Congregational church, to which
his wife also belonged. They had three children: Catherine S., wife of
Frederick Welles; Mary, who resided with Mr. and Mrs. Welles; and Alsop,
born February 4, 1829, who died March 28, 1892. The last named married
Augusta M. Brown, of Essex, by whom he had no children. After her death,
which occurred in 1861, he wedded Cynthia Payne, of Portland, who died in
1892, and by whom he had two children, Henry B. and Amy. He was a
farmer by occupation.

ISatlltam Jlenrp dickering

MONO THE SERVICES which the men of New England
have performed for the world, and they are many, one of the
chief is the great contribution to the mechanical theory and
practice of the age that they have made, the scientists,
inventors and discoverers in this department of human
knowledge who have had their birth and training in that
part of the country, being second to none either in technical
knowledge or the volume and importance of the work they have accom-
plished. But this result, of which New Englanders generally may well feel
proud, has not been the product of any one, or even a group, of master
minds, but rather to the genius of the people at large, which working, here
at one problem and there at another, has in the sum total of its accomplish-
ment produced the striking effect just commented upon. Typical of this
sectional ability, as well as of the other virtues and talents of his fellows, was
the life of William Henry Pickering, whose name heads this brief record.

Mr. Pickering was a member of a family in which the talent for
mechanics was highly developed, two of his immediate family at least, his
father, Thomas Pickering, and brother, Senator Thomas Richard Pickering,
displaying it in a high degree. His parents, Thomas and Jane Pickering,
were old residents of New York City, where the former was engaged in the
spice business. His mother's death occurred in that city, and after that
event his father removed to Hartford, Connecticut, where he passed the few
remaining years of his life. It was in New York City that Mr. Pickering
himself was born, March 4, 1847, ^rid it was there that he secured his educa-
tion at the public schools. His mechanical talent, which was inherited from
his father, showed itself early in his life and he won a considerable reputation
even as a boy for his skill and cleverness in that line. There is little doubt
that he would have made a name for himself in technical studies and the
practical application of them when still very young had not a terrible emer-
gency arisen, greater and more insistent in its demands than any personal
interests whatsoever. This was the crises incident to the slavery and seces-
sion discussions which finally resulted in the outbreak of the Civil War in
1861. At the time of the first hostilites Mr. Pickering was too young to be
admitted into the ranks in any capacity, so that despite the most intense
longing to serve his country, he was obliged to wait until the following year.
On September 20, 1862, being then fifteen years of age, he enlisted as a
drummer boy with Company B, of the One Hundred and Seventy-fourth
Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, and was promptly sent to the
front. He was later transferred to the ranks as a private and in that capacity
sa:w much active service, and took part in a number of important engage-
ments. He was also transferred to Company B, One Hundred and Seventy-
fourth Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, and it was from that com-
mand that he was finally mustered out at Savannah, Georgia, October 13,
1865, receiving there his honorable discharge.

504 JHIillfam l^enrp Pickering

He returned at once to New York, where he remained a short time,
seeking- some opening in business where his talents might be used to the best
advantage. He began work as a machinist in Portland, Connecticut, remain-
ing there for about one year, and then secured a position with the firm of
Woodruff & Beach, in the great machine shops at Hartford. His skill and
knowledge soon drew the favorable regard of his employers upon him and
his work and he received a very rapid advancement and was put in charge
of a number of important pieces of work. The more difficult the task he
was set to do, the more he was able to demonstrate his talent and technical
knowledge, and it was not long before he was traveling for the above com-
pany and other concerns, superintending important construction operations.
Not only did he work in various parts of this country, but when one of the
companies that he represented contracted to erect some very large manu-
facturing plants in Paris, France, Mr. Pickering was chosen to take charge
of the work and despatched abroad, where he remained for a considerable
period. The work in Paris led to other jobs on the continent of Europe and
until these were all completed, Mr. Pickering remained to superintend their
construction. Upon his return to the United States he stayed for a time in
Portland and from there went to Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he engaged
in the manufacture of coin holders. In the year 1873 he gave up this busi-
ness, however, and removed to Hartford, where he made his home during
the remainder of his life. For ten years he did many kinds of work, his
services being in constant demand for such work as required more than
ordinary skill and experience. In the year 1883 he finally founded the
machine works which were for so long associated with his name, with a
number of partners under the style of W. H. Pickering & Company. The
shops and offices were located at No. no Commerce street, Hartford, and
here the large and prosperous business was developed under the masterly
management of Mr. Pickering. In course of time his partners withdrew
from the business, and at the time of his death he was the sole owner and
operator of the plant. His reputation as a practical man had become country-
wide in the meantime, and many were the offers he received from the most
diverse quarters to superintend other concerns. Perhaps the most flattering
of these was one from the United States government to take charge of cer-
tain national works at a very attractive salary. But Mr. Pickering was firm
in refusal of all these. He valued too highly the freedom and independence
which he alone could enjoy in working for himself and refused to change it
for anything wherein he was not completely his own master.

Mr. Pickering's interests were almost entirely wrapped up in his chosen
work, and he did not even admit any kind of recreation as a rival. He was
an indefatigable worker and a student who never tired, but it was all in
connection with his business. He was a member of the Robert O. Tyler
Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and he participated to a certain extent
in the activities of this great organization, but, as a matter of fact, the only
real rival that his business interests had was his family, for which he may
be said to have lived.

On October 17, 1872, Mr. Pickering was united in marriage with Eliza-
beth Parker Jones, of Portland, Connecticut, a daughter of Jabez B. and

IQilUam l^entp picketing 505

Martha (Bidwell) Jones, both members of old Connecticut families. To Mr.
and Mrs. Pickering were born seven children, three of whom died of diph-
theria, while four of them with Mrs. Pickering have survived their father.
They are: Martha Jones, who is now Mrs. Ernest De Catur Stager, her hus-
band being the present superintendent of the shop for the Pickering Machine
Company; Mr. and Mrs. Stager are residents of Hartford and the parents of
three children, Elizabeth Faith, Pickering De Catur and Janette Parker. The
second child of Mr. and Mrs. Pickering is Grace E., now Mrs. Howard A.
Miller and the mother of one son, Howard A., Jr. The third child is also a
daughter, May Ida ; and the fourth is the only surviving son, Thomas Rich-
ard, so named after his father's elder brother, Senator Thomas Richard
Pickering, president of the Pickering-Governor Company of Portland, Con-
necticut, whose death on February 22, 1895, preceded that of his brother by
about seven years.

Mr. Pickering is best known to the community, and naturally enough,
through the various concrete monuments to his skill and industry distrib-
uted throughout this country and foreign lands. What is not so well, or at
least so broadly known, is the potent influence he exercised upon all who
knew him in virtue of his character as a man. Yet it may very well be ques-
tioned whether such influence did not equal or even exceed in effect any that
was wrought through his professional activities. In all his personal relations
his conduct was of the worthiest, and the numerous friends which he had
won for himself were one and all devoted to him to the day of his death, and
to his memory thereafter. His fondness for his family has already been
noticed, but it may be added here that his chief happiness was found in the
intimate intercourse of household and home and that he contrived to spend
as much of his time as possible in its enjoyment. His constant thought was
the happiness and pleasure of those about him and he never ceased to devise
means whereby they might be compassed. His death has been felt as a
severe loss not only by the members of his immediate family and the large
circle of his personal associates, not only by the world of mechanics and
technical invention, but by the community at large in which his conspicuous
figure stood ever as a type of good citizenship and many virtues.

CJjarles iteslte iSarrotos

OOKING BACK OVER the past half century or so of New
England achievement, perhaps the sight that strikes one
with the most force is that of the gigantic strides made in
the material development of the region with its growth of
great industrial enterprises, the elaboration of an intricate
financial system and the establishment of a vast and com-
plex, yet perfectly operative network of mercantile relations
binding the various parts of the wide realm together into a coherent social
organism. This growth, this development, has been the result of the eflForts
of a very large and very brilliant group of enterprising and courageous men
seconded by the honorable toil of a whole people. Of the task which they
have more or less unconsciously undertaken and have brought so far upon
the way of accomplishment, it may be said that in its very nature it is beyond
the powers of any single man, however great his genius. Its issue, indeed,
is in the future and quite beyond the range of any but prophetic vision, so
that it would be inaccurate to speak of the work of any of those engaged in
it as fully accomplished, but in such a labor of Hercules, mere progress is
success. And of those who have had an ample share of this progress and
success may be mentioned the distinguished merchant and citizen of Hart-
ford, Connecticut, whose name heads this brief notice. Mr. Barrows' family
was originally English, having been founded here by one John Barrows,
who, born in England, sailed for the New England colonies sometime
during the year 1637 and before the close of that year was recorded as one
of the proprietors of the town of Salem, Massachusetts. He finally made
his home in Plymouth in the same State and there died in 1692. The
name Barrows was variously spelled in the past and even during the
family's residence in America has assumed such different forms as Bur-
roughs, Burrows, Burrow and Borow, as well as the form in which it appears
here, so that the task of tracing all possible relationships even in this country
would be complicated in the extreme. We know, however, that the family
is a very large one and has been represented during the past by many promi-
nent men, including soldiers in the American Revolution. The particular
branch of the family of which the Mr. Barrows of this sketch was a member,
has resided for many years in Hartford and it was there that his father,
William O. Barrows, made his home.

Charles Leslie Barrows was born June 26, 1848, in Hartford and there
spent his entire life, becoming most closely identified with its commercial
and business interests and aiding very materially in the development of the
same during that great period of their growth which introduced the splendid
prosperity of to-day. In childhood he attended the South School in the
city, but his parents not being in good circumstances he was obliged to leave
early and engage in some employment that would contribute to the live-
lihood of the family. He readily secured a position in a grocery establish-
ment, and there by studious application learned the business in detail and

Charles Jrslie Jurrotos

Cftatleg Leglle 15artoto$ 507

became familiar with the needs and demands of the public. His thrift and
industry resulted in two things, his rapid promotion by his employers and
the fact that by the time he was twenty-three years of age he had saved a
sufficient capital to start in business for himself. In 1872, then, he actually
embarked upon this independent enterprise, establishing a grocery business
at the corner of Park and Wolcott streets, in partnership with one William
Falhurst. This was the humble beginning of the great house which for so
many years has been associated with Mr. Barrows and is even now con-
ducted under his name. At the end of three years the partnership with Mr.
Falhurst was dissolved and Mr. Barrows assumed entire control of the busi-
ness, which rapidly developed and increased under his wise and progressive
management. Eventually, the business having outgrown its original quar-
ters, Mr. Barrows purchased a large plot of land at the corner of Sisson
avenue and Park street, and there erected a handsome business block which
is still occupied by the concern he founded. He was a man of great business
shrewdness and had made a study of the desires of people from his earliest
experience as a grocery clerk, so that he was more than usually capable of
meeting them successfully. His unfailing courtesy and consideration for its
wants quickly made the public his friend, and the enterprise flourished
accordingly. Shortly before his death Mr. Barrows felt the cares and respon-
sibilities of the still increasing enterprise were becoming too great for one
man to handle and it was his intention to incorporate the concern and retire
somewhat from its active management, but at this juncture his death
occurred. Since that event, however, his widow, who inherited his great
estate, has carried out his intention and the business is now incorporated
under the name of the Charles L. Barrows Company and is conducted by the
men who had given him faithful service during the time of its development,
who have thus reaped the fruits of their zeal and trustworthiness. Mr. Bar-
rows' business interests in Hartford included more than the great com-
mercial establishment which still stands as a monument to his memory, and
he was a large owner of real estate in the city and a most successful investor
in corporate stocks. On the Park street and Sisson property he erected a
number of buildings besides the business block and among them his home
which stands at No. 20 Sisson avenue and is still occupied by Mrs. Barrows.
The returns from these investments were of a highly lucrative sort and he
became one of the substantial figures in the business world in that vicinity.
Mr. Barrows did not overstep the confines of the business world, however, to
any great extent in his participation in the life of the city, finding the task of
managing his great enterprise a responsibility heavy enough. He was
keenly interested in politics, it is true, and was a member of the Republican
party, but he had absolutely no ambition for political preferment and con-
tented himself with the performance of his duty as a citizen, casting his
ballot for the cause and candidate he approved. Neither did he belong to any
social or fraternal organizations, although he was fond of informal social
intercourse with his fellows.

Mr. Barrows was united in marriage with Miss Janet Ramsey Garvie.
Mrs. Barrows, who survives her husband, is, like him, a native of Hartford
and a daughter of John Black and Christina (Hunter) Garvie, of that city,

5o8 Cfjarles Leslie laatrotos

as a representative citizen of which, her father is the subject of an extended
notice in this work.

The death of Mr. Barrows in Hartford on August 13, 1902, at the early
age of fifty-four years cut unduly short a brilliant career which, in the logical
course of nature, would have raised to a position of influence and honor even
higher than that he had attained. His character was of that sterling sort
which lays a foundation of respect in the opinions of his fellows which can
well withstand the ordinary shocks of fortune, and his methods, likewise,
were the essence of stability, going on to work out their own inevitable
results irrespective of obstacles and delays. It was wholly through his own
persistence and industry that his large fortune was developed from its very
humble beginning. His business policy was shrewd and able, but sound and
upright and he never sought to enrich himself at the expense of others, nor
did anyone ever place in him a mistaken reliance. He was a great lover of
nature, and his chief recreation was found in driving about the country,
which in the neighborhood of his home possesses a great natural charm and
contains many points of historical interest. A typical New Englander, in
whom were blent a rare union of practical common sense and idealism, he
was one of whom it could truly be said that the community was better for his
having lived in it.

^tjhit ^lack dcirtJi^

3(o|)n &hth (B^arbte

'HE WORLD POSSESSES few more romantic regions than
that of Perthshire, Scotland, and few of wilder beauty, situ-
ated as it is on the line between the Lowlands and Highlands
with the beauties of both these regions well nigh at their
best there, such giants as Ben Lawers and Ben More, rock-
bound and heather clad dominating the country, broad lakes
and noble rivers and the more fertile tracts such as which
surrounds the fair city of Perth itself. And added to these a past brimful of
history and tradition, such as we find in the novels of Scott, in a thousand
ballads and lays, to say nothing of the homely legends of the people them-
selves who have their own versions of every worthy event of the years
gone by as well as many not so worthy and some which common sense sug-
gests were not even events. However this may be the region itself possesses
an unsurpassed charm for whoever has the requisite sensitiveness of nature
to feel it. At a casual glance it may impress one as strange that such a region
should have produced a race so practical and "canny" as the Scotch have
proved themselves in all their dealings and in every part of the world. But
this is really not strange at all, there is nothing really at strife between the
romantic and the practical, between imagination and hard common sense,
for in order that a man should work his best it is needful that he see with
especial clearness the object for which he labors, and this our ancestors, with
more wisdom than ourselves, spoke of the man of imagination as a "vision-
ary"— one who sees. Certain it is that those races who have possessed this
quality of seeing, of perceiving the true and the beautiful in their many
forms have also proved themselves the most capable in the world of material
achievement, as, for example, the Hebrews, the Greeks and the men of Scot-
land themselves.

It was of this strong and dominant stock that John Black Garvie, whose
career forms the subject-matter of this brief sketch, was sprung, it was in
this lovely region that he was born sometime about the year 1826, and it was
here that he passed his childhood and youth and received his early training.
After completing his education in the good local schools, he was apprenticed
to a carpenter and builder and there learned the trade that he was to employ
with such good results in a far distant country. He was a youth of strong
and enterprising nature and listened with ready belief to the accounts in
circulation of the great opportunities awaiting such sturdy lads as he in the
vast domain in the western hemisphere. Accordingly, in the year 1847, "pon
reaching his majority, Mr. Garvie set out for the United States and, settling
in Hartford, Connecticut, secured work in his trade. In the new land he dis-
covered himself among a race of people possessing many points in common
with his own kith and kin, for in the New Englanders is to be found the same
union of idealism and practicality already remarked in the Scotch. How-
ever this may be, Mr. Garvie soon felt himself very much at home in his
adopted country and was speedily identified with its customs and life. His

5IO 3lof)n TBIacb (£>attiie

native thrift and industry soon placed him in a position where he was able to
engage in business on his own account, and he thereupon established himself
as a building contractor and prospered from the ovitset. His astuteness as a
business man at once made itself apparent and his success and reputation
grew hand in hand until he was one of the best known builders in the State
of Connecticut. He was intrusted with many important contracts and his
work included some of the finest buildings in the region. Among the build-
ings erected by him may be mentioned the Theological Seminary in Hart-
ford, the Memorial to Colonel Samuel Colt in Colt Park, the handsome resi-
dence of Mark Twain on Farmington avenue, and the Holbrook mansion
opposite, for many years a landmark in Hartford and now about to be
removed. Many other buildings of an equally substantial and ornamental
character were erected by him. For many years he was in partnership with
the late John H. Hills, but the association was finally discontinued and Mr.
Garvie conducted the business alone up to the time of his death. His honor
and integrity were universally recognized and he enjoyed the distinction of
being the first building inspector under the city government.

Mr. Garvie was a man of wide sympathies and great public spirit and he
was ever active in the attempt to advance the interests of his adopted com-
munity. His work, however, took the form of private benefactions and
assistance as a general thing, as he did not ally himself to institutions of any
kind, although he heartily approved of those movements which had as an
object the general welfare.

Mr. Garvie was united in marriage with Miss Christina Hunter. Like
himself, Mrs. Garvie was a native of Scotland, and a daughter of James and
Janet (Ramsey) Hunter, of that country. To them was born one daughter,
Janet Ramsey Garvie, who became the wife of the late Charles Leslie Bar-
rows, of Hartford, a biography of whom forms an important part of this
work.

3lame0 CJ)urt}) ^ratt

CAREER AS diversified as that of Captain James Church
Pratt, one of the most prominent and highly honored
citizens of Hartford, Connecticut, holds an intrinsic interest
in itself without regard to the question of the lesson to be
learned from it. The experiences of one who has lived in so
many different environments, who has taken part in so many
different kinds of activity and has witnessed so many stir-
ring and important events, cannot but make interesting reading, but in the
present case there is another reason for the setting down of these experiences
in the form of a clear record, and that is that through them all there is
evident to the dullest insight a thread of moral purpose which binds them to-
gether as parts in the growth and development of a strong and worthy char-
acter and exhibits them as factors in the formation of a virtuous manhood.

Captain Pratt is a member of one of the oldest Hartford families, the
founders of the family in this country being John and Elizabeth Pratt,
natives of England, who were of the party which first settled on the site of
the present city and gave it its name. The party was under the leadership
of Thomas Hooker and contained the progenitors of many of the families
now prominent in the city. In an old map of the colony dated 1640, there
appears a list of the land owners of that time with the location of their hold-
ings, and among these is the name of John Pratt set down as a farmer.
Indeed, from his day down to wellnigh the present, his descendants have
followed in his foosteps and been the owners of large tracts of land which
they have cultivated as farms.

James C. Pratt is of the eighth generation from the progenitor, the line
of descent being through John (2), John (3), William, Joseph (i), Joseph
(2), and Joseph (3), who was Captain Pratt's father. His grandfather,
Joseph (2) Pratt, was a man of wealth and prominence in the community.
He married Fannie Wadsworth, and after her death her sister, Charlotte
Wadsworth. He was a staunch Democrat in politics. He died in Opelousas,
Louisiana, in 1852. His son, the third Joseph, was also a prominent member
of the community, taking an active part in its affairs. The father had owned
farms in locations as much developed as Asylum street, Windsor road and
Albany avenue, which were then rural enough, but which began to be more
thickly settled in the younger man's day with the result of greatly increas-
ing the value of his holdings. He gave up farming about 1846 and engaged
in the lumber business which necessitated his remaining away from home
much of the time. He was an active participant in the work of the volunteer
fire department of Hartford, being the foreman of the fourth company for
some time and later holding the office of chief engineer of the whole depart-
ment. He gave up actual business a number of years before his death, which
occurred March 24, 1890, and spent the remainder of his life with his son.
He was married to Abigail Prior Church, a daughter of James Church, of
Hartford. Mr. Church was a maker of ropes and carried on his business on
the site of the present freight yards of the New York, New Haven & Hart-

512 3Iamc$ Cftutcl) Pratt

ford railroad, situated on Morgan and Pleasant streets. His five sons all
followed the same trade as their father and later went into business in
various parts of the United States, two of them settling in Cleveland, Ohio,
one in Toledo in the same State, one in Springfield, Massachusetts, and one
in Rochester, New York.

James Church Pratt was the only son of Joseph and Abigail Prior
(Church) Pratt, and was born on a farm belonging to his father, March 17,
1838. This old place was then a full mile and a half out of the city limits,
but since then it has developed and the situation is on Windsor avenue in the
city. Here he dwelt until his father removed to Hartford and entered the
lumber business. He was eight years of age at the time, and began to attend
the public schools in the city. His education was cut short, however, by the
failure of his health when sixteen years of age, which obliged him to give up
studies and all kinds of confining occupations. It was considered wise to
send him to visit an uncle who was engaged in farming on a large scale in
Wisconsin, with the idea that an active, outdoor life in that salubrious
climate would restore his health. He remained for a year in the West, but
returned after that period apparently no better, and he was at once sent oflf
to the South to spend the winter which was then approaching, with his
grandmother who made her home in Louisiana. At the close of the severe
weather he returned to Wisconsin, but did not remain there a great while
but traveled back to his father's home in Hartford. However the doctor
would not hear of his remaining there and he was once more dispatched to
Louisiana, this time to make it his home for a number of years. Here he was
still living at the outbreak of the Civil War, his health having improved
greatly by that time. His sympathies being enlisted entirely on the south-
ern side of the controversy, and being of an active and adventurous disposi-
tion, he at once busied himself in the formation of a company of volunteers,
and with them entered the Confederate service. His body of recruits became
Company F, of the Eighth Regiment of Louisiana Volunteer Infantry, and
he became captain thereof, serving under Colonel Francis T. Nicholls, who
later became the Governor of Louisiana. Aftei about eighteen months of
active service, Captain Pratt was taken prisoner in the fall of 1863 and was
confined a prisoner of war in New Orleans. However, in the following
March, he was liberated on parole and returned to Hartford and took up his
abode with his parents. One year later, with the surrender of General Lee,
the war was brought to a close, but Captain Pratt remained in Hartford,
where he had in the meantime been married. He was the owner of very
valuable property in the city which he had inherited from his forbears, and
proceeded to take care of and develop his holdings. In 1871 he formed a
partnership with a Mf. Baldwin, of Hartford, and the two young men
engaged in a mercantile business, which they continued to operate with a
high degree of success for about ten years. The care of his great property
interests growing greater as time passed, he then retired from the mer-
cantile house and devoted himself to the former occupation. One of his
valuable holdings is a business block situated on Asylum street, which makes
him very satisfactory returns, and in 1886 he bought ten acres of land on
Farmington avenue in the West Hartford district which he turned into the
splendid estate upon which his present residence is at No. 726. He is now

3Iameg Cburcf) Ptatt 513

retired entirely from active business life and makes his home in these
delightful surroundings.

Captain Pratt has all his life been a strong supporter of the principles
and policies of the Democratic part}', but entirely lacking in political ambi-
tion, has never sought public ofhce and always shrunk from public life
generally. He has thus held himself aloof from the local organization of his
party and shut himself out from the career which his talents and position
would undoubtedly have held open to him. But it has been only in this
direction that he has not taken an active part in the life of the community;
in all other departments he has been a conspicuous figure. In 1867 he joined
the Governor's Foot Guards, a prominent military organization of Hartford,
as a private, but was gradually promoted to the rank of captain, which office
he held about nine years when he resigned and then joined as private; he is
still a member of that company.

It was shortly after his return to Hartford and while still on parole, to
be more precise, on August 16, 1864, that Captain Pratt was united in mar-
riage with Jennie A. Peck, of Norwich, Connecticut, in that town. Mrs.
Pratt was the daughter of John H. and Abbie (Hyde) Peck, of Norwich,
where they were well known and highly respected as members of good old
Connecticut families. It will be recalled that Captain Pratt bore that title
as an officer in Company F of the Eighth Louisiana Regiment, so that it was
a decided coincidence that his wife should have been the sister of Lieutenant
William H. Peck of Company F, Eighth Connecticut Volunteers, and this
coincidence was rendered still more striking by the fact that both were
present at the wedding of the former, the one on parole, the other on fur-
lough. The two young officers were always the best of friends despite the
difference in their political opinions. Five children have been born to Captain
and Mrs. Pratt, the eldest of which, Joseph, died when but seventeen months
of age. The second child, Carrie, now deceased, was the wife of George
Barton, of Hartford, to whom she bore three children: Beatrice, now the
wife of Lieutenant Ralph Risley, United States Navy; Agnes H. and Russell.
The third child, also named Joseph, married Mary D. Bailey and they have
one son, Joseph, Jr. The fourth child of Captain and Mrs. Pratt is a daugh-
ter, Esther, now the wife of the Rev. J. Howard Gaylord and the mother of
five children, Esther, Helen, J. Howard, Jr., Mary Elizabeth and Carrol.
The youngest of the five children is Louise, who married George Jewett and
is the mother of one child, William Kennon. She lives with her parents.

Captain Pratt is very justly regarded as one of the prominent citizens of
the city where he was born and which has for so many years been the scene of
his activities. He is now in his seventy-eighth year, but his life still pre-
serves its strong current, his faculties are unimpaired and his outlook as
broad and genial as ever. He is a man who has passed through many experi-
ences and who has seen and done much, but who has brought to all the occur-
rences of his life the same steady, consistent sense of duty, so that his long
career is stained with no blot and contains no record which he might wish
to cover. All is as clear and open as his countenance, a countenance which
bespeaks the candid mind, and when it is passed in review it is by one and all
acclaimed as worthy of the best traditions of a soldier and of a man.

CONK-Vol IH-33

Ctitoart aifrelJ ^mttj)

HE TRUE MEASURE of a man's worth, the true criterion
of where he should be placed in the scale of our admiration
and respect, is not, after all, his possession or lack of strik-
ing abilities and qualities, but the perfectly simple matter of
the amount of good done his fellows. It is not, of course,
an easy matter to decide just who has done the greatest good
to the greatest number, opinions differ so greatly that there
is no possibility of a definite conclusion and each must decide for himself.
But though this is indubitably true, there are certain indications whereby
the opinions of all men are governed, which, when they appear, we all bow
our heads in acknowledgment of general services rendered. Such is emi-
nently true when we pass in review the life of such a man as the Rev. Edward
Alfred Smith, whose death in Hartford, Connecticut, October 26, 1895, was
a severe loss to all the best interests of the city.

The Rev. Mr. Smith was a member of old Connecticut families on both
sides of the house, his father having been a native of Derby, Connecticut,
and his mother of New Haven. They were Isaac Edward and Emily
(Walker) Smith, the elder Mr. Smith becoming connected with large lumber
interests with headquarters in New York City, in which city he lived and
carried on his business the greater part of his life. He had two children, one
besides Edward Alfred, a younger son, Ernest Walker, now deceased, who
was engaged with his father in the lumber business in his native city.

Rev. Edward Alfred Smith was born July 22, 1835, at Woodstock, Con-
necticut, and continued to live with his parents in New York, though he
attended the Russell Preparatory School in New Haven, Connecticut. He
was possessed of a great fondness for all kinds of studies, and was naturally
a scholar by birth and inclination. He distinguished himself highly in school
and still more so later in his college course which he took at Yale University,
graduating therefrom with the class of 1856. His career in Yale was good
and he was a conspicuous member of a class which contained an unusually
large proportion of brilliant men, among whom may be numbered Justices
David J. Brewer and Henry Billings Brown of the United States Supreme
Court, General John Wager Swayne, of New York City, Captain Charles
E. Bulkeley, of Hartford, who lost his life in the Civil War, Chauncey M.
Depew, of New York, and Charles E. Fellowes, long the honored clerk of
the Hartford County Court of Common Pleas. Early in his youth Mr. Smith
had determined upon a" religious career, and accordingly followed up his
general education by a course in a theological seminary. His first year was
spent in the Yale Divinity School at New Haven, but he later went to An-
dover, and it was from this institution that he finally graduated. He also
spent two years in European travel, principally in Germany for the purpose
of completing his education and broadening himself as much as possible. He
returned to New York City shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War and
served in Virginia for some months therein, under the Sanitary Commission,

€DtoatD aifccD ^mltb 515

being finally invalided home with a prolonged illness of typhoid. On No-
vember 13, 1865, he was ordained at West Springfield, Massachusetts, and
shortly afterwards was called to the pastorate of the Second Congregational
Church of Chester in that State. He remained nine years in his first charge,
and in 1874 was called to take charge of the Congregational church of Farm-
ington, Connecticut. Here he remained fourteen years, discharging the
duties of his work in the most highly capable manner and with that high
Christian devotion which won for him the admiration and affection of all.
He was the victim of poor health, however, and though he made a coura-
geous struggle against it, was finally obliged to give up active work of the
arduous kind entailed in his life as pastor. Accordingly in the year 1888 he
retired from the ministry and removed to Hartford where he made his home
during the remainder of his life, his residence being situated on Elm street
in that city. In the year 1892 the Rev. Mr. Smith joined the First Congrega-
tional Church of Hartford, the pastor of which at that time was his second
cousin, the Rev. Dr. George L. Walker. Between the two men there existed
the closest kind of friendship and intimacy, and Mr. Smith at once threw
himself into the work of the church with all his might. He was a faithful
attendant at divine service and at the mid-week meetings, often participating
in leading the former.

But although Mr. Smith never returned to the active work of the minis-
try, he took a great interest in church afl^airs generally, and was a prominent
figure in religious and educational circles in the city. From the year 1883
to his death he was a director of the Missionary Society of Connecticut and
a trustee of the fund for ministers. During his whole life he retained the
strongest devotion to his alma mater and remained an active member of the
Alumni Society in Hartford. He was honored by Yale University in 1889
by being chosen one of the clerical members of the corporation and was
given the honorary degree of M. A. at the same time.

Rev. Mr. Smith was united in marriage, March 3, 1868, with Mrs.

Melissa K. Heath, the widow of Heath, of Chester, Massachusetts.

Mrs. Smith had been a Miss Knox, a daughter of Charles W. and Olive
(Clark) Knox, and a member of a very influential family in Chester and its
environs. Mrs. Smith survives her husband and is now a resident of Hart-
ford. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were the parents of two sons, Herbert Knox, a
graduate of Yale University, now in business in Hartford and with a home
in Farmington where he lives with his wife who was Gertrude Dietrich; and
Ernest Walker, also a Yale graduate, married Hilda Rankin Johnson, a
daughter of the Rev. James G. Johnson, of Farmington, deceased. They are
the parents of two children, Hilda Rankin and Barbara Hope.

Two characteristics were apt to impress most forcibly all those who
came into contact with Rev. Mr. Smith, his goodness and his scholarship.
The former was the very cornerstone of his nature, the goal for which he was
continually reaching, the spirit that informed him and made him what he
was, and only second to it was his love of the things of culture and the under-
standing. He was essentially the student, the man of broad culture and
cosmopolitan outlook and sympathies. Unassuming as such men are apt to
be he was a potent force for the uplifting of the community where he dwelt.

5i6 (gPtaiatD aifreP ^mitb

Quietly, yet none the less effectively, he influenced those about him for good,
whether as a preacher, or as an example of conscientious fulfillment of duties
and obligations and the living up to the highest standard in every relation
in life. Public-spirited he was in the highest degree, continually concerned
about the welfare of others; charitable in the highest sense of the term,
taking thought how he might increase the happiness of those about him. Nor
was this the case only with those whom he personally knew and associated
with,, but in the larger sphere of civic activity, since he saw clearly that on a
greater scale disinterested interest in governmental problems and political
issues was the counterpart of that more personal charity which begins at
home. His wisdom was recognized by all and men voluntarily sought his
advice in private disputes and quarrels, just as those in trouble sought his
aid. And to both he gave liberally and without stint, yet so quietly that few
besides the direct recipient ever guessed the secret. The highest compliment
of all which his fellows paid him. the tribute that most pleased himself was
the universal affection accorded him, an affection more valuable than wealth
or honors, and which is the reward only of perseverance in welldoing and the
highest Christian virtues.

amos Botons iSrtlige

'HERE IS A disposition to-day to look upon the attainment of
wealth with suspicion, and to regard those who are favored
of fortune in a special degree as stumbling blocks in the way
of general prosperity, rather than instruments for its
advancement. And it must be admitted that there is con-
siderable reason for this in the purely selfish careers of many
of the modern captains of industry and finance. Such has
not always been the case, however, either in popular opinion or in fact, as an
examination of the records of those men connected with the rise of American
industries during the last generation, most clearly shows. In that period
the great figures, whose names are associated with the development of many
of our greatest industrial, commercial and financial houses, were strongly
imbued with that true patriotism which works, not alone for personal
aggrandizement, but for the benefit of their respective communities, and dis-
played in this the true wisdom which gave voice to such healthy sayings as
"honesty is the best policy," and recognized the obvious fact that only the
success which is based on virtue and a corresponding good fortune for those
about them can in the long run assure happiness and satisfaction. For
worldly wisdom and the strong altruistic instincts, which alone entitle men
to be called civilized, are much more nearly related than is popularly sup-
posed, and both tend to the same ends and objects. In the midst of this great
group of Americans of genius whose efforts have accomplished such startling
results in the world of manufacture and business, there may be found an-
other group of those who, though of foreign birth and parentage, have made
this country their home and, being originally of such strong character and
personality, and identifying themselves so completely with its traditions and
customs, have been able to take their place side by side with their co-workers
of native birth, and measure favorably with them by their own standards.
This group is, of course, a relatively small one, but in absolute numbers it is
large; it numbers in its ranks men of all nationalities, but, at least so far as
New England is concerned, the majority is made up of Englishmen.

Such a figure was that of Amos Downs Bridge, a member and typical
example of that dominant race which did the major part of the pioneering
in the wilderness of the North American continent, and whose descendants
still form the preponderant element in the people who, adopting the name
of their new home, call themselves Americans. He was born August 27,
1838, in the town of Milton, Kentshire, England, the son of John and Mary
(Prickett) Bridge, respected residents of that place. He died in September,
1906, at Hazardville, Connecticut. The elder Mr. Bridge seems to have pos-
sessed no small share of the enterprise that later made his son so successful,
and leaving his affairs and home in England he came to the United States to
try his fortune in a newer, more open land. To him and his wife had been
born five children in England before their journey abroad, as follows:
George, deceased; John, who died at the age of twenty-one years; Ruth, who

5i8 3mos Doton0 "BtiDge

became Mrs. H. D. Adams, of Attleboro, Massachusetts; Amos, the subject
of this brief notice; and Ephraim. And all of these they brought with them
to the new home. Thereafter two more children, Ebenezer and Stephen,
were born to them. They settled in the little town of Enfield, in the near
neighborhood of the thriving town of Hazardville, Connecticut, and there
Mr. Bridge, Sr., found employment with the Hazard Powder Mills. He
removed to Thompsonville, where he remained for a short time, but returned
to his first home and opened a store in Hazardville, where he engaged in a
general mercantile business very successfully. The building occupied by his
store he erected himself in the year 1850, and he subsequently disposed of it
and it is now the property of E. C. Allen, who still conducts a store there.

Amos D. Bridge was but three years of age when in 1842 he accom-
panied his parents to this country, so that practically his whole life was spent
here, and even his early childish associations were of America as represented
by the attractive New England town. His early years were passed in En-
field in the pursuance of an education, first in the local public schools, and
later at the Connecticut Literary Institute at Suffield, Connecticut. He was
a bright, alert lad, and would doubtless have made a first rate scholar had his
father's means been sufficient to send him to college, for even as it was he
distinguished himself in his classes. As it chanced, however, it was neces-
sary for him to find employment at a comparatively early age, his first posi-
tion being as a clerk in a general store, in which capacity he served four
years. He then was given a position with the Hazard Powder Company,
where his intelligence and industry soon marked him out for promotion. He
continued with these employers for a period of eighteen years, and in that
time had worked his way upwards to the position of chief clerk in the cor-
poration. During the latter years of this employment his enterprising and
intensely original nature had urged him to leave this work and embark in
business for himself. But Mr. Bridge possessed what few natures of this
kind can boast of, a sober judgment and great self control. Instead, there-
fore, of precipitating himself unprepared upon the no very tender mercies of
the world of competitive business, he waited until he had saved the product
of his labors to a considerable amount, and the arrival of a favorable oppor-
tunity. His first venture was only partly independent, when he began the
manufacture of keys for the company in whose employ he had so long
served, but the experience of depending upon his own judgment in the man-
agement of the factory added greatly to what was already his no inconsider-
able self-confidence, and gave him some very valuable experience in the
direction of afifairs. He next established himself in the lumber business and
operated a sawmill, continuing in this business until the time of his death.
This he first operated under the name of A. D. Bridge, but it has grown to
great proportions at the present time, and is still conducted by his sons under
the name of Amos D. Bridge's Sons, Incorporated. The erection of the saw-
mill took place in 1878, and just ten years later he began the operation of a
gristmill, which brought him in a handsome income for many years. One
of the largest enterprises was a contracting business which he started, in
connection with which he did some of the most important construction work
in that portion of the State, erecting many buildings and building many

gmog Dotons IBxiHt 519

miles of macadam roads in Connecticut, Massachusetts and even Rhode
Island. For the proper prosecution of this enterprise he kept a large stable
of thirty or more horses, which he also employed to do the necessary trans-
portation of the Hazard Powder Company's output from the mill, having
never entirely severed his connection with this company.

The neighborhood of Hazardville was enjoying a rapid growth in popu-
lation and importance during this period, no small portion of which was
traceable to the enterprise of Mr. Bridge, who in all possible ways made it his
object to stimulate the enterprises and ventures of others, and attract out-
siders to the district. This increasing population and importance brought
with it the inevitable rise in real estate values, and of these Mr. Bridge wisely
took advantage and, his judgment never failing, became in course of time
the owner of a very large estate of most valuable property. His holdings
included in all several thousand acres of land lying in the various towns of
Enfield, Somers, Suffield, Windsor Locks and Longmeadow. Among his
various accomplishments Mr. Bridge was an expert surveyor and was
employed by the Hazard Powder Company to make them a series of maps
of the region thereabouts, including the powder works themselves, the town
of Hazardville and the Shaker settlement in the neighborhood. The two
enterprises which illustrate most clearly the benefits he has bestowed upon
his home community, were those of his erecting and operating at his per-
sonal expense and risk of the present water works of Hazardville, which he
continued to own until his death, and his instrumentality in securing for
the town the trolley line, which has since proved such a convenience to the
people and such a factor in its growth.

In the realm of public afl:'airs, he has not been less active than in that of
business. Public-spirited to a degree, and possessed of a keen interest in all
political questions, especially those local ones which concerned directly his
town, he threw himself energetically into the political situation as it existed
there, and allied himself with the local organization of the Republican party,
with the principles and policies of which he was in hearty accord. A man so
successful and well known as Mr. Bridge was in Hazardville and the adja-
cent regions could not fail to be a strong candidate for wellnigh any office,
and it was not long before his political co-workers began to press various
nominations upon him. Nor did Mr. Bridge show himself reluctant to
accept them. Although not personally ambitious in this direction, he was
clear-sighted enough to perceive that he could be of great service to his fel-
low citizens, and not being one to shrink from what he believed a duty, he
cheerfully took upon his shoulders what must have been considerable in
view of the onerous nature of his business. He served as selectman for one
year in Enfield, for seventeen years as assessor and for twenty years as
auditor of accounts. He also acted as a member of the Enfield School Board
for ten years and of the Board of Relief for a number of terms. In the year
1891 he was the Republican candidate for State Senator from the Third
Senatorial District, and being duly elected he served for a term with great
ability and success. Religiously he was affiliated with the Methodist Epis-
copal church, and was very active in working to advance the church of that

520 3mos Doton0 l^tiDge

denomination in Enfield, serving as trustee, steward and class leader for
many years.

Mr. Bridge married, February 24, 1859, Elizabeth Gordon, a native of
Glasgow, Scotland, and a daughter of William and Jean (Bachop) Gordon.
Mrs. Bridge was the eldest of nine children, her parents both being natives
of Scotland, where Mr. Gordon operated a hand loom. Her brothers and
sisters were as follows: Margaret, who became Mrs. Andrew Holford, and
is now deceased; David; William; Andrew; George; Jennette, who is now
Mrs. Ephraim Bridge, having married a brother of our subject ; Mary and
Peter, twins, the former being Mrs. Samuel McAuley, of Windsor Locks.
To Mr. and Mrs. Bridge nine children were born, as follows: Jean, died in
early youth; H. Stephen; Allyn G. ; Annie, now Mrs. L. H. Randall; Wil-
liam; Homer; Emily; Mary, deceased, and Charles. Mrs. Bridge survives
her husband and is now residing in Hazardville, where she devotes much of
her time to her fifteen grandchildren.

Energy, self-confidence and a strict adherence to the moral law were
the traits which seemed to lie at the bottom of Mr. Bridge's character and
shape and guide its whole development. His business success, as must all
true success, depended quite as much upon his character as upon the knowl-
edge which was a later acquirement. It was this element which differenti-
ated his career, so similar in external appearance, from a kind of success,
common enough to-day, which, as already remarked, is popularly regarded
with so much disfavor. In all that he did for himself, Mr. Bridge kept the
interest of those about him ever in sight, and made no step, however con-
ducive to his own ends, if to his candid judgment it appeared inimical to
theirs. It was in line with this — it should not be called policy, for it was too
spontaneous for that — but in line with this instinct, was his behavior in his
family. He would not allow the extremely exacting demands of his business
to interfere with what he considered due his wife and children, any more
than he erred the other side and allowed domestic ties to interfere with the
discharge of his obligations to the outside world. Indeed the only person
whose inclinations and comfort he consistently sacrificed to the rest of the
world was himself, for he rose early and retired late to fulfill his obligations
to others, and minister to their desires. The town of Hazardville has the
best reason to regard him as its benefactor.

itucian Sumner ^Ktlcor, M* M.

'HE LEARNED PROFESSIONS, or rather those that prac-
tice them, have received from time immemorial a measure of
respect greater than that accorded to those who follow other
callings with the exception, perhaps, of religion and war.
The present age is undoubtedly more niggardly than the
past with this especial regret, and has the name of being
irreverent towards all things, yet even to-day we instinc-
tively pay a certain degree of consideration to the men who have perfected
themselves in such great and profound subjects as the law, teaching, medi-
cine. In the case of the last named, there is an added ground for honor, for
besides the distinction that attaches to learning and scholarship, it is obvious
that there is scarcel}^ any occupation in which a man may labor in which
such a great demand is made upon his self-denial and courage. From the
outset, if he approaches the matter in a proper spirit, this must be his inten-
tion, and, if he fall not from the tradition of his great profession, he must
thenceforth live his life chiefly for the sake of others and devote the best of
his energies in their service. This then is the reason why most of all we
should pay respect to the physician, this even more than because of the
knowledge that he must possess, because, with the possible exception of the
man who surrenders the things of the world in order to give his service to
religion, the man of medicine must live the most altruistic of lives. If we
would seek for an example of such as have really adhered to this great
tradition and devoted their powers to the good of others we could scarcely
do better than take the record of Dr. Lucian Sumner Wilcox, late of Hart-
ford, Connecticut, whose death on November 26, 1881, was felt as a severe
loss, not only by his numerous patients, but by the community generally.

Dr. Lucian S. Wilcox was born July 17, 1846, at West Granby, Con-
necticut, a son of Justus Denslow and Emeline B. (Hayes) Wilcox. He
passed the years of his childhood there and at Westfield, Massachusetts,
where he attended school, later attended the Wilbraham Academy, where
he prepared himself for college, and in 1846 matriculated at Yale Univer-
sity, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in
1850, the degree of Master of Arts later, and the degree of Doctor of Medi-
cine in 1855. He proved himself a brilliant pupil and won the deep regard
of his professors and instructors, also the affection of the undergraduate
body. After his graduation he accepted a position as teacher in the Chero-
pee Seminary, in which capacity he served until 1857, in which year he
settled in Hartford and there established himself in the practice of medicine.
He soon won a wide reputation as a brilliant diagnostician and a profound
student of his subject, and he rapidly built up an extensive general practice.
In course of time he came to be regarded as one of the leaders of his profes-
sion in the city, both by his fellow practitioners and the public generally.
He continued in practice until the time of his death, and during the many
years of his work gained the deep regard and affection of the community.

522 JLucian Sumner COilcoi

In 1877 Dr. Wilcox was elected to the Chair of Theory and Practice of Medi-
cine at Yale Medical School and so served until his death. He was a con-
stant contributor to the Connecticut State Medical Society, and he also acted
as medical director of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company,
being- appointed to that position in 1865, and serving therein until his death.

Dr. Wilcox married. May 18, 1853, Harriet Catherine Silliman, of
Easton, Connecticut, a daughter of David and Mary B. (Wheeler) Silliman,
old and well known residents of that place. Four children were born to
them, only one of whom survives, Alice Louise, who resides at the old Wil-
cox homestead. Another daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Wilcox, Katherine Silli-
man, became the wife of Dr. Frederick T. Simpson, and they were the
parents of one child, Frances Elizabeth Simpson, born July 31, 1893.

The place held by Dr. Wilcox in the community was one that any man
might desire, but it was one that he deserved in every particular, one that
he gained by no chance fortune, but by hard and industrious work and a
most liberal treatment of his fellow-men. He was a man who enjoyed a
great reputation and one whose clientele was so great that it would have
been easy for him to discriminate in favor of the better or wealthier class of
patients, but it was his principle to ask no questions as to the standing of
those who sought his professional aid and he responded as readily to the
call of the indigent as to that of the most prosperous. It thus happened that
he did a great amount of philanthropic work in the city, and he was greatly
beloved by the poorer classes there. It is the function of the physician to
bring good cheer and encouragement almost as much as the more material
assistance generally associated with his profession, often, indeed it forms
the major part of his treatment, especially in those numerous cases where
the nervous system is involved, and for this office Dr. Wilcox was particu-
larly well fitted both by temperament and philosophy. There is much that is
depressing about the practice of medicine, the constant contact with suffer-
ing and death, yet the fundamental cheerfulness of Dr. Wilcox never
suffered eclipse and was noticeable in every relation of his life. In his home,
as much as his great practice would permit him to be in it. Dr. Wilcox was
the most exemplary of men, a loving husband and father and a hospitable
and charming host. .

3(ames (ll^ootitoin Patterson

^O ACQUIRE DISTINCTION or great prosperity in the busi-
ness pursuits which give to the country its financial strength
and credit requires ability of the highest order. This fact is
apparent to all who tread the busy thoroughfares of the
business world. Ordinarily, merit may attain a respectable
position and enjoy a moderate competence, but to spring
from the common walks of life to one of the first places of
monetary credit and power can only be the fortune of a rarely gifted person-
age. Eminent business talent is undoubtedly a combination of high mental
and moral attributes. It is not simple energy and industry; there must be
sound judgment, breadth of capacity, rapidity of thought, justice and firm-
ness, the foresight to perceive the course of the drifting tides of business,
and the will and ability to control them, and a collection of minor but import-
ant qualities to regulate the details of the pursuits which engage attention.
The subject of this memoir, James Goodwin Batterson, late of Hartford,
affords an exemplification of this combination of talents, and in the theater
of his operations he achieved a reputation which placed him among the first
of the distinguished business men of Connecticut. But it was not in the
world of business alone that he attained eminence. As a leader in the field
of politics, his influence was without doubt a beneficent one at many trying
periods in the history of his State. By many it has been regarded as a mis-
fortune that Mr. Batterson did not devote his talents exclusively to the field
of literature, for his achievements in this direction are of an unusually high
order of merit. In short, his mind was so well balanced and so evenly de-
veloped, that any matter which engaged his attention would of necessity
meet with success. He was of the fifth generation of his family in this
country.

James Batterson, his immigrant ancestor, was probably of Scotch ances-
try, and of the family which now commonly spells its name Battison in Scot-
land. He came to America about the time of the Scotch Presbyterian immi-
gration from the north of Ireland. The surname Batterson is identical with
Battison and Batson, and is derived from the diminutive Bat, from Bartholo-
mew. The Battison family was in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The Batson
family has a coat-of-arms: Argent, three bats' wings sable, on a chief gnjles
a lion passant guardant or. Crest: A lion passant guardant argent. The
family is undoubtedly much older than the coat-of-arms.

James Goodwin Batterson, son of Simeon Seeley and Melissa (Roberts)
Batterson, was born in the town of Wintonbury, now Bloomfield, Connec-
ticut. February 23, 1823, and died in Hartford, Connecticut, September 18,
1901. His boyhood was spent at New Preston, in Litchfield county, where
he attended the country schools and laid the foundation of an excellent con-
stitution. His feats of strength at this time became almost proverbial, and
he was a leader in all enterprises. At the Western Academy he prepared for
entrance to college, but his means would not permit him to pursue this idea.
He was but fifteen years of age when, imbued with the idea of becoming self

524 3lanxe0 (SooDtoin 13attcrson

supporting, he ran away from home, and made his way to Ithaca, New York.
Numerous were the disappointments and difficulties which the young lad
encountered, but he was of indomitable courage and perseverance, and the
long journey to Ithaca was made on foot for the main part. He applied for
work in Ithaca at the printing establishment of Mack, Andrews & Wood-
ruff, and his successful translation of a Latin sentence which had perplexed
one of the members of the firm, gave him the opportunity to learn the print-
er's trade. Every spare moment was devoted to study, for he had not aban-
doned his idea of obtaining a liberal education, and, having remained in
constant communication with his friends who were studying in college, he
kept in touch with the college curriculum and mastered it without the aid
of instructors. He then returned to his home and became an apprentice to
his father in the stone-cutting trade, until he could find a more congenial
opening. He had not long to wait for this, and he commenced reading law
in the office of Judge Origen S. Seymour, later chief justice of Connecticut,
and his progress was a rapid one. when his hopes were again dashed to the
ground; family circumstances changed and again he returned to assist his
father in the latter's business. Recognizing the futility of his efforts to
attend college and to pursue the study of law, Mr. Batterson now determined
to devote himself to business pursuits with all the energy he possessed. He
made Hartford the business headquarters, and there his establishment
rapidly grew to large proportions. From being exclusively engaged in
cemetery work and foundations, he commenced contracting for buildings of
a substantial kind. He built the Savings Bank on Pearl street, Hartford,
and the marble front structure of the Phoenix National Bank. In 1857 he
was awarded the contract for the Worth Monument in New York City at
the junction of Fifth avenue and Broadway. In 1875 he incorporated the
business under a special charter from the State of Connecticut as the New
England Granite Works with a capital of two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars. Quarries were operated at Canaan, Connecticut; Westerly, Rhode
Island; and Concord, New Hampshire; and the latest machinery installed.
Mr. Batterson himself invented a turning lathe for turning and polishing
stone columns, a great improvement over the old method of hand work. He
took charge in person of the preparation of the great granite pillars for the
State Capitol at Albany, New York. Scarcely a cemetery of any account in
the country that does not boast some stone work from this company, and
hardly a city in which the Batterson granite is not found in some structure.
The company made the National Soldiers' Monument at Gettysburg; the
statue of Alexander Hamilton in Central Park, New York City; the monu-
ment of General Thayer, founder of the military academy, at West Point;
the monument on the battlefield of Antietam ; the great monument at Galves-
ton, Texas, dedicated to the soldiers who fell in the Texas Revolution; the
monument in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, to General Henry W. Hal-
leck ; and the General Wood monument at Troy, New York, the sixty-foot
shaft of which weighs nearly a hundred tons. Mr. Batterson and his com-
pany have erected many substantial and well known buildings, among which
may be mentioned: The Connecticut Mutual L.ife Insurance Company
Building, Hartford; Equitable Building, New York City; Mutual Life Insur-
ance Company Building, Philadelphia; City Hall of Providence; the Bank-

3lames ©ooDtoin IBattetson 525

ers Trust and Guarantee Trust Buildings, New York City; Congressional
Library at Washington, District of Columbia; the Capitol, at Hartford,
which cost almost two millions for construction work. In i860 Mr. Batter-
son established marble works in New York City, conducted to the present
time under the firm name of Batterson & Eisele, one of the largest and best
in this line of work in the country, and employing upward of six hundred
men. From the marble quarried and prepared by this firm was built the
interiors of the Manhattan Bank Building, the Mutual Life Building,
City National Bank, Bankers Trust, Guarantee Trust, the Waldorf-Astoria
and Imperial hotels, and the residence of Cornelius Yanderbilt, all of New
York City; the City Hall, of Providence, Rhode Island; the Congressional
Library at Washington; the residence of W. K. Yanderbilt, at Newport,
Rhode Island; and the residence of George Yanderbilt, at Asheville, North
Carolina. This is only a partial list.

But Mr. Batterson's career in this line, successful as it was, gained him
less fame than he won as the originator of accident insurance in this country.
While traveling through England, his attention was attracted to the system
of insurance against accidents on railroads, and upon his return he organized
an accident insurance company to which the Legislature granted a charter
for railroad accident business and amended it in 1864 to include all kinds of
accident business, and in 1866 to include all forms of life insurance. This
was the origin of the famous "Travelers." The opposition to this company
soon became very keen; several accident companies were organized within
two years, none of them now surviving. The Railway Passengers' Assur-
ance Company was a consolidation of many of these concerns and a few
years later its business was taken over by the "Travelers" also. The first
premium ever received by the "Travelers" was two cents for insuring a
Hartford banker from the post office to his home, and from this small and
humorous beginning the business has extended to vast amounts, the original
limit for a single risk being increased from ten thousand dollars to hundreds
of thousands. The capital stock is now six million dollars, and the assets
over one hundred millions. Mr. Batterson lived to see the concern become
one of the greatest in the world of insurance, and was at its head until his
death. He became popularly known as the "Father of Accident Insurance
in America," and in many respects the modern accident insurance business
may be said to have been originated by Mr. Batterson, for the English
business has been remodeled after the successful American ideas.

Mr. Batterson never lost his interest in books and learning, even in the
midst of his great business cares and duties. He pursued the study of law
and his knowledge proved of inestimable value to himself and the corpora-
tion of which he was president. He learned how to avoid litigation and he
knew how to maintain his rights at law. He took up the study of geology
under the tuition of Professor J. C. Percival, the poet-geologist of Connec-
ticut, for whom he acted as guide during a part of the first geological survey
of the State. His knowledge of this subject grew from year to year and
proved of great value in business. He spent the winter of 1858-59 in Egypt
with Mr. Brunei, the well known engineer, and together they studied the
rock formations of the Nile V^alley, and visited the great ruins at Thebes,
Karnak and elsewhere; the obelisks, pyramids and tombs, the construction

526 31ame0 ©ooDtoin 15attetson

of which both as to material and workmanship, were of the greatest inter-
est to Mr. Batterson. His interest in Egypt continued as his knowledge
increased, and he became an honorary secretary of the Egypt Exploration
Fund and one of the leading authorities on Egyptology. He also studied
the Mediterranean Basin. The geology of the whole world became his
earnest study and he gathered specimens of the rocks and formations of
earth from all parts, and also became well known as a student of astronomy.

As a patron of art Mr. Batterson displayed another side of his remark-
able versatility. His first trip abroad was as the representative of some
wealthy men for whom he bought the works of the sculptor, Bartholomew,
after the latter's death. He erected a monument over the grave of this
sculptor, who had been a personal friend, and one of his masterpieces is to
be seen in the Wadsworth Museum in Hartford, a gift of Mr. Batterson.
From that time he became a student of painting and sculpture, and the rare
collection of paintings in his Hartford home is considered one of the finest
in the country.

Mr. Batterson was a linguist of unusual attainments. Both the living
and the dead languages had received a share of his attention. He was one
of the founders of the Greek Club of New York, and was a member twenty
years. He was an omnivorous reader of English, American and French
works, his private library being one of the finest in the State, and containing
an especially fine collection of Americana. He wrote on subjects of socio-
logical importance, especially on taxation and the relation of capital and
labor. He published translations from the Iliad in blank verse; in 1896 he
wrote an important book on "Gold and Silver," which was widely used as a
campaign document by the sound money parties. Many of his shorter writ-
ings were published in "The Travelers' Record," the organ of the insurance
company. Among his published poems were: "The Death of the Bison;"
"The Trysting Place;" "Lauda Sion," translated from the Mediaeval Latin
of Saint Thomas Aquinas; "Creation," which appeared in 1901, the title of
which was later changed to "The Beginning," is of high literary merit and
solid scientific value. The degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon him
by Yale and Williams colleges and Brown University. In religion he was a
Baptist, and a regular attendant at the Baptist church in Hartford.

He was one of the organizers of the Republican party, and until his
death a leading spirit in it. During the Civil War he zealously supported
the Lincoln administration and the cause of the Union. Throughout this
struggle he was chairman of the Republican State Central Committee of
Connecticut and chairman of the War Committee. He undoubtedly saved
the State elections to the Republican party during this period by strenuous
personal efforts, and he spent much time and money in relief work for sol-
diers and their families. He would accept no office, elective or appointive,
and this proof of his disinterestedness assisted greatly in increasing his
political influence.

He was a director of the Hartford National Bank and of the Case,
Lockwood & Brainerd Company; vice-president of the Wadsworth Athe-
naeum; trustee of Brown University; member of the Colonial Club, the Con-
necticut Society, Sons of the American Revolution, the American Statistical
Association, Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, Hartford Scientific

3fame0 aooptofn igattccgon 527

Society, New England Society of New York, American Association for the
Advancement of Science, Yale Alumni Association, Hartford Board of
Trade, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Mr. Batterson married, June 2, 1852, Eunice Elizabeth Goodwin, born
April 6, 1827, died January 16, 1897, daughter of Jonathan and Clarinda
(Newberry) Goodwin. Children: i. Clara Jeannette, born January 17,
1855, died May 16, 1868. 2. Mary Elizabeth, married Dr. Charles Coffing
Beach, of Hartford. 3. James Goodwin, Jr., born August 30, 1858; is the
head of the Travelers' Insurance Company in New York City, under the
title of resident director; married (first) November 11, 1879, Ida Wooster,
and has one child: Walter Ellsworth, born at Westerly, Rhode Island,
October 6, 1886; married (second) December 14, 1897, Emma Louise Greene,
and their only child was James Goodwin Batterson, the third of the name,
born June 21, 1900, died August 2, 1909.

No better estimate of the character of Mr. Batterson can be given than
by printing a few extracts from an address made by the Hon. William F.
Henney, mayor of Hartford, at an In Memoriam meeting held September
18, 1904. They are as follows :

Few lives come home to us with such appeal to our sympathy and admiration as the
life of James G. Batterson. The life of Mr. Batterson, with its splendid record of strug-
gle and triumph, its elevating story of toil and achievement, its masterful grappling with
difficulty and obstacle, its courageous challenge to untoward circumstance, its'' stern
battle with adversity, the prosperity which crowned its later years, speaks to us who are
to wander yet a little longer in the shadows, with many a cheering message of comfort
and of hope. It is idle to speculate on his probable career as a lawyer. With his mental
equipment and characteristics it is certain, however, that he would have met with distin-
guished success, and that to be shut off from that career was one of the signal disap-
pointments of his life. It is apparent that the young man had early learned to make a
truce with necessity. If debarred from doing what he wanted to do, he turned with all
his energy and ambition to doing the next best thing. Failure to learn this lesson has
wrecked many a young and promising life on the shoals of disappointment and despair.
To me, one of the most attractive views of this many-sided man is that which reveals
him as a literary artist and a scholar. I can understand how the voices of the masters
appealed to him from every age and clime. He loved

The old melodious lays
Which softly melt the ages through,

The songs of Spenser's golden days.

Arcadian Sidney's silvery phrase.
Sprinkling our noon of time with freshest morning dew.

His own work in literature would have made the reputation of a smaller man. Its
results were dimly seen amid the shadows cast by his administrative achievements. Mr.
Batterson was a fighter ; but he fought with the courage and skill of a trained warrior,
with the courtesy of a true knight, with the magnanimity of a gentleman. In examining
a life like that of Mr. Batterson, so large and useful, so intense and various, so active
in many of the most rugged pathways of human endeavor, in some of its aspects storm-
wrapped and tumultuous, in others bathed in the sunlight glory of a summer landscape,
the key to its mysteries is not far to seek. He never took a position without having been
forced into it by the strength of his convictions. If ever a man had convictions and the
courage of them, that man was James G. Batterson. Seeking for the right with a con-
scientious earnestness that was sometimes painful, when he arrived at a conclusion his
mind was as steadfast as the everlasting hills. No consideration of expediency, no sug-
gestion of personal advantage could induce him to swerve by a hair's breadth from a
determination once arrived at. And this was the source of his power. Neither the shafts
of ridicule nor the appeals of self-interest could drive him from an enterprise once entered
upon.

Clison JFrancte Igaooti

•HERE IS NOTHING more interesting to the observer of
human nature than the continual struggle between the per-
sonalities of men and their diverse environments, nothing
more enthralling to the attention and stimulating to the
imagination than to watch the various means that strong
natures will resort to to accomplish their aims and the per-
severance with which they press onward to success, and the
influences which the surrounding circumstances bring to bear to alter the
direction or change the form of that success even when they are powerless
to prevent it. Nowhere is it possible to find a greater number of striking
examples of such successful encounters of men with their surroundings than
among the records of the brilliant men whose efforts have built up the great
financial, commercial and industrial system in this country, the typical busi-
ness men of the United States. Such was the man, and such the career of,
Edson Francis Wood, whose versatile mind and varied talents brought him
success in spite of many difiiculties and amid the most various circumstances.
It was through a most complex set of affairs that he gradually worked him-
self into business independence and success and made himself a place so
prominent in the regard of his fellow citizens that his death in Plantsville,
Connecticut, on April 17, 1909, was felt as a loss by the entire community.

Edson Francis Wood was born November 29, 1845, in the town of Wol-
cott, Connecticut, a son of Francis and Phylettia (Nichols) Wood, old and
highly respected residents of that place. The years of his childhood were
passed for the better part in the town of his birth and it was here that he
received the rudimentary portion of his education, attending the local public
schools for that purpose. While he was still a school boy, however, his
father removed to Waterbury and it was in that city that he completed his
schooling. The cause of the change of residence on his father's part was the
fact that he was a clock maker and he sought employment in that line in the
immense watch and clock works of Waterbury. The younger man remained
in Waterbury for a number of years and then went to Plantsville and there
and in the neighboring town of Milldale learned the trade of machinist in
the works of Clark Brothers, manufacturers of bolts. Among the great ma-
chine shops in Plantsville and Milldale, both of which towns are really parts
of Southington, there was one owned by the firm of Peck, Stowe & Wilcox,
a concern with its central works in Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Wood became
connected with these people and later went to Cleveland, Ohio, and was
employed in the great works there on labor requiring unusual skill. He
remained for upwards of six years in the western city and was then trans-
ferred to the branch works in Plantsville in a still more responsible position.
From that time onward Plantsville was his permanent home and the scene
of his active business operations until the close of his life. In spite of the
fine position that he held with Peck. Stowe & Wilcox and the great interest
that he really felt in the work, Mr. Wood was not satisfied with his position.

OBDson JFrancis mooJi 529

This was due to the fact that he had long held a strong ambition to engage
in business on his own account. His exceedingly strong individuality made
this almost a necessity, since for its normal growth and expansion it needed
a field where it could express itself freely and spontaneously. In August.
i88q, feeling that he was in a position to gratify his desire in this matter, he
purchased a hotel in Plantsville, which he called the Edson House, and
entered that business. The Edson House was successful from the outset.
Mr. Wood was a man with a very large acquaintance in many parts of the
country and these patronized the hotel and spread its fame abroad through-
out the region. It was a place where one might feel at home without the
formality that is disagreeable about hotels generally, and yet lack nothing
in the way of perfect service. It was particularly popular among traveling
salesmen and others whose business took them about the country regularly,
and this popularity has continued until the present time. Mr. Wood re-
mained in this business for some eleven years and was most successful dur-
ing the whole period, retiring therefrom about 1900.

Mr. Wood was a man of too wide interests and sympathies to find the
complete satisfaction for his nature that some men do in his business. A
thousand other aspects of life interested him keenly and he found time to
participate in many other activities than that connected with his material
success in the world. He was a man whose abilities might easily have made
him a leader in politics, but here, at least, he took no very strong interest,
other than that shared by all large-minded, public-spirited men, of seeing the
best man, no matter what his particular brand of politics, win. He was,
however, keenly interested in the social life of the community and was a
member of many important organizations of a social and fraternal nature,
among which should be numbered the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
and the Knights of Pythias.

Mr. Wood was twice married, the first time to Jennie Pierpont, of
Waterbury, Connecticut, by whom he had one child, Herbert Edson, now a
resident of Southington, Connecticut. On August 12, 1885, he was married
to Mrs. Annie Elizabeth Peet, widow of John Peet, of Shefifield, England,
and daughter of Joseph and Mary. (Shaw) Taylor, of Shefifield, England.
Mrs. Wood was a native of England, having come from that country with
her parents and settled in Southington, Connecticut, in 1879. Of this union
one child, a daughter, was born. Ethel Emma, who now resides with her
mother at Plantsville.

Mr. Wood was a man of very definite feelings and beliefs, a strong per-
sonality that impressed itself powerfully upon those about him. His tastes
were very domestic in character and he found his chief happiness in the
intimate intercourse of his own fireside. In all the relations of life his con-
duct was above reproach and might well furnish an example for the youth
of the community to take pattern after.

CONN-VoI 111-34

iWorrte Jlinlislep ^errtn

^HE AMOUNT OF influence exerted in a community by an
individual, the popularity which he enjoys, or even the de-
gree in vvrhich he is known, is not measured by the position
that he holds upon the social ladder or the importance of
the interests entrusted to his care, even in this democratic
country, where the best and most popular man is in theory
elected to the highest place. Which of us is there who cannot
recall many cases of personalities which for some striking quality, be it
humor or wisdom or whatnot, although distinction of any kind may never
come near them, have not been better known, more greeted, more quoted,
more loved, in short, than all the local great men with office or wealth at
their command? So it was in the case of Mr. Perrin, whose name heads this
short record, and who became one of the best known and most popular
figures in the region where he dwelt. The fact that he eventually became
wealthy and gained another kind of prominence in the community does not
invalidate the contention any more than it detracted from his popularity
which was really quite independent of it. and was the result solely of his
personal relations with his fellows without reference to the absence or pres-
ence of material fortune.

Morris Lindsley Perrin was born August i6, i860, in Putnam, Con-
necticut, a son of Nicholas and Eliza A. Perrin, of that place. His father was
a successful contractor and owned a considerable tract of land about Put-
nam. He and his wife had one other child besides our subject, a daughter,
Nettie, now Mrs. John Knowlton, of California. The education of Morris
Lindsley Perrin was obtained at the excellent local public schools, and upon
completing his studies he secured a position with what was then known as
the New York & New England railroad, but is now the Hartford division
of the New York, New Haven & Hartford. He liked the work and remained
in it for twenty-three years, working his way upwards to the position of
passenger conductor, which he held for more than seventeen years. His
route was between Boston and Hartford, and he became a very well known
figure on the road and gained a great popularity for his sunny, even disposi-
tion and his unfailing courtesy. During this period he saved up a very con-
siderable capital which, in 1898, he decided to invest in a business of his own.
He had earned something else besides the requisite capital during his long-
service, and that was the devoted friendship of H. O. Foster, who for many
years served under him in the capacity of brakeman. The two men were
inseparable and it was arranged that they should surrender their positions
together and engage in business as partners. Accordingly they established
the firm of Perrin & Foster to deal in wholesale liquor with an office and
store at No. 26 Union Place, Hartford, and there built up the large and sub-
stantial business which for sixteen years has been associated with their
names. With the notable increase of their trade Mr. Perrin became verv

y^^UXAAAAM. "£■ CU

'A.C\MAAyCi 7^- VM\AAyn

6©otns £inD0lep pettin 531

well off, and in 1909 he purchased the handsome dwelling at No. 796 Albany
avenue, where he continued to live during the remainder of his life.

On July II, 1902, Mr. Perrin was united in marriage with Mrs. Roxanna
Schaefer, the widow of George C. Schaefer, of Phillipsburg, New Jersey,
and the daughter of Henry and Sallie (Height) Wagner, of Milford. New
Jersey, in which place she was born. Mrs. Perrin was the mother of one
son by her former marriage, John H. Schaefer, who married Janette Heyer
and she died January 6, 1915. The death of Mr. Perrin occurred November
26, 1914 (Thanksgiving Day), and he is survived by his wife who still resides
at No. 796 Albany avenue, Hartford.

To attain a position such as that of Mr. Perrin, through one's own, un-
aided efforts and a life that is always honored and respected, deserves much
more than a passing notice. With him it was a happy union of qualities both
of mind and character that brought him to the position he occupied. Capable
and business-like in the management of his affairs, he was generous to a
fault and of so kindly a disposition that no appeal was ever made to him
which passed unheeded. He liberally supported many charitable and benevo-
lent movements besides giving large sums in private charity, and that in so
quiet a manner that no one but the direct beneficiaries ever guessed of the
occurrence. His tastes were of the manly, wholesome, open-air variety that
recommend a man to his fellow-men, and win for him their comradeship.
He was the owner of a charming summer home on the sea shore where he
indulged these healthy tastes, and where he kept his automobiles, boats, etc.,
and which he made, not only a charming home, but a delightful rendezvous
for congenial friends and companions. Another taste of Mr. Perrin's was
that for travel, in which he also indulged to as great extent as his business
interests would permit, but which he limited to his own country, where his
interest was centered and which he had a most creditable ambition to know
well and at first hand. He was an eminently social man and belonged to a
number of clubs and organizations which brought him into contact with
other men, a contact in which he gave fully as much pleasure and benefit
as he received. Among these organizations may be mentioned Hartford
Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Summit Lodge, Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows; and Putnam Lodge, Knights of Pythias. His
sudden death when only fifty-four years of age, and from a malady which
had not been supposed serious until the very day when it proved fatal, had a
strong element of the tragic in it, cutting short as it did, in its very heydey,
a career at once so happy and so useful. He was a potent influence in the
lives of all those who came into contact with him and his memory will long
dwell in the minds of his associates as an example of good citizenship.

1
I

NDEX

ADDENDA AND ERRATA

Page 135 — The Cutler coat-of-arms is as follows: Or, three bends sable, over all a
lion rampant gules. Crest : A demi lion gules, holding a battle axe, handle gules.

I NDEX

Allen, Alexander, 450

Alice L., 452

Denslow E., 427

Elbert K., 452

Elijah, 427

Emma E., 451

Emma G., 378

Hezekiah, 378

Isaac G., m, 378

John, 378

John C., 452

Joseph, 378

Julia C, 427

Robert, 450

Sabra, 378

Samuel, 377

William R., 451
Allyn, Alice B., 132

Arthur W., 130

Robert, 131

Robert J., 132

Su.san P., 130

Timothy M., 127
Andrus, Charles B., 427

Daniel, 427
Arms, Ella A., 443

George C, 442

Gladys I., 443

Harold I., 443

Howard G., 442
Arnold, Ada M., 298

Augusta, 298

Charles E., 298

Edwin H., 297

Frederick W., 298

Harriet M., 298

Harvey, 297

Bacon, Delia C, 95

Herbert M., 95

Marcus M., 94

Sophia S., 95

William A., 94
Baldwin, Alice, 469

Andrew J., 468

Charlotte C, 469

Darwin J., 257

David, 468

Ellen J., 258

Frank M., 469

Grove B., 259

Henry M., 468

John D., 259

Ralph H., 469

Rollin D., 257
Barbour, Annie, 296

Henry G., Dr., 296

Henry S., Judge, 295

John H., Rev., 295

Paul H., Rev., 296
Barker, Lilla A., 253

Ludlow, 252

Paulina S., 254

Samuel, 252

W. L. B., 253
Barrows, Charles L., 506

Janet R., 507

John, 506

William O., 506
Bassett, Jennie, 144

Samuel, 144

William A., 144
Batterson, Eunice E., 527

James, 523

James G., 523

James G., Jr., 527

Simeon S., 523
Beckley, Charles W., 483

Elizabeth, 483

John A., 372

John G., 373

Moses W., 482

Rhoda E., 373

Samuel C. 372
Beckwith, Charlotte M., 163

Henry, 162

Julia E., 1&3
Begg, James, 465

William, 465
Belden, Charles R., 199

Frederick S., 200

Mary E., 200

Seth, 199
Berry, Dennis J., 487

James P., 487

John. 486

John F., 487

Mary, 487

Mary E., 487

Peter, 486

Peter, Jr., 487

Thomas A., 487
Bishop, E. Huggins, Dr., 42

Herbert M., 43

Jane M., 43

Louis B., Dr., 43

Timothy H., 42
Bissell, Arthur G., 307

Asaph L., Dr., 380

Charles C, 383

Charles S., 306, 380, 381

Clara J., 385

John, 380

Leavitt P., 305, 306

Maria E., 381

Mary W., 307

Samantha J., 412

Warren W., 412

William, Capt., 412
Blakesley, Elizabeth, 166

Gilbert H., 164

Henry T., 164
Bolter, James, 335

James, Jr., 338

Mary, 338

William, 335
Bostwick, Ann E., 461

Arthur, 460

Benjamin, 460

Maria, 461

Solomon, 460

William, 460
Botsford, Hannah, 191

Henry A., 190

Mary B., 191

William, 190
Bridge, Allyn G., 520

Amos D., 517

Charles, 520

Elizabeth, 520

H. Stephen, 520

Homer, 520

John, 517

William, 520
Brinsmade, Ada G., 281

Dorothy C, 281

William B., 279

536

INDEX

William G., 279
Bristol, Annis, 474

Isaac B., 473

Sarah E., 474

William D., 473
Brockway, Elizabeth M.,

Harriet, 232

Jedediah, 231

Ulysses H., 231

Ulysses H., Jr., 233
Bryan, Alexander, 70

Burton G., 70

Edward, 70

Fannie K., 71

Wilbur F., 71
Burton, Ella, 368

Elmira, 368

James S., 367
Butterworth, Clarabel V.

Paul M., 64

Camp, Caleb J., 67

Mary, 69

Moses, 67

Samuel, 67

Sarah M., 69
Canty, Anthony, 477

Leo, 477

Mary I., 477

Timothy, 477

Williarn L., 477
Capron, Eunice M., 116

Samuel M., 115

William C, 115
Champion, Henry, 447
Chase, Augustus S., 39

Frederick S., 40

Helen E., 41

Henry S., 40

Irving H., 41

Martha C, 40

Seth, Capt., 39
Cheney, Austin, 290

Charles. 288, 290

Frank D., 290

Frank W., 288

Horace B., 290

Howell, 290

John D., 290

Mary, 290

Seth L., 290

Ward, 290
Clemans. Francis. 345

Jerry. Capt., 344

Jerry D., Dr., 344
Coe, Edward T., 399

Eliza, 399

Ella S., 399

Israel, Hon., 397

Lyman W., 397, 398

Robert, 397
Collins, Alexander, 404

64

Alice, 406

Augustus, Gen., 404

Daniel, 404

Howard S., 404, 405

Helen C. 406
232 John, 404

Samuel W., 404
Colt, Annette, 179

Florence A., 179

Henry, 178

Henry G., 178
Cope, George J., 339

John, 339

Margaret J., 340
Crane, Ellen M., 476

Frederick A., 475

Warren S., Dr., 475
♦Cutler, Nathan M., 135

Davis, Isaac B., 358

John, 358

John O., 360

Josephine H., 360

Maria A., 360

Mary N., 360
Dickerson, Minetta E., 368

Theodore B., 368
Dobson, Betsey, 96c

John S., 96a, 96c

Julia W., 96d

Peter, 96a

Sophia, 96c
Dunbar, Alice. 18

Butler, 18

Charles E., 82

Edward B., 18-19

Edward G., 21

Edward L., 18

Robert, 81

Sarah A., 82

Winthrop W., 81, 82
Dunham, Donald A., 326

Edwin L.. 323

Jonathan L., 323

Mary M., 326

Sylvester C, 323

Estlow, Alfred J., 387
Belle, 388
Martin, 387

Foster, Alice, 355
Charles G., 355
Emrna P., 355
Eunice, 354
Frederick R., 354
George B.. 355
James, 353
James P., 353
James P., Jr., 355
Marv E., 92
Wilbur B., 91

William J., 91
F\'ler, Harlow, 171
Mary E., 175
Orsamus R., 171
Stephen, 171
Walter, Lieut., 171

Gage, Frank E., 459

Hannah W., 458

Jonathan, 458

Joseph, 459
Gale, Daniel J., 443
Garvie, Christina, 510

John B., 509
Garvin, Charles H., 420

Harold, 421

John N., 420

Lena, 421

Leslie, 421
Gay, Charlotte E., 189

Gertrude R., 318

Henry, 187

Henry S., 187

John, 317

Margaret P., 318

Richard H., 317

William, 317
Gaylord, C. Walter, 467

Edward B., 467

Hezekiah, 467

Viola H., 467

W'illiam A., 467
Georgia, Charles C, 494

Christian T., 493

Clara, 494

Emeline, 494
Gildersleeve, Alfred, 55

Charles, 55

Henr}', 52

Mary E., 55

Nelson H., 55

Obediah, 51

Oliver, 51, 52

Oliver, Jr., 55

Philip, 52

Richard, 51

Sylvester, 52

Walter, 55
Glazier, Charles M., 445

Clara, 445

Daniel J., 445

Isaac, 444

Robert C., 445
Godfrey, Adelaide E., 396

Clement J., 395

William H. K., 395
Goodman, Aaron, 408

Aaron C., 408

Annie M., 409

Edward, 410

Richard F., 410

Richard J., 409

INDEX

537

Goodrich, Arthur B., 211

Helen E., 211

Joseph E., 211

Leslie W., 211

P. Henry, 209

Ralph S., 211
Goodwin, Alice H., 424

Edward C.. 424

Henry L., 425 .

James J., 453, 454

James L., 455

James, Maj., 453

Josephine S., 455

Matilda, 424

Ozias, 453

Oliver, 424

Philip L., 455

Walter L., 455
Gorman, Frances H., 457

James O., 456
Graves, Ruth P., 351

Miles W., 350

Seth D., 350

Thomas, 350
Gray, Clara M.. 334

Ebenezer, Col., 294, 332

Ellen W., 294

John, 294

John S., 294, 332

John W., 294, 332

Louise, 321

Mabel A., 321

Mary, 294

Neil, 320

Raymond N., 321

Robert W., 334

Samuel, 294

William, 320
Greene, Jacob H., Capt., 327

Jacob L., 327
Grover, Ann E., 419

Lewis C, 418

Willard, 418

Hagarty, Anna L., 436

Joseph, 435

Joseph, Jr., 436

Patrick, 435

William, 436
Harlow, Frederick M., 439

Hermon W., 438

Nettie L., 439

William P., 439
Harris, Ann, 485

James, 485

James M.. 484

John, 485

Thomas, 484, 485

Harvey, Charles G., 497

James, 496

James G., 497

Rhoda A., 497

Thomas D., 497

William E., 497

William H., 496
Hassard, Mary L., 316

Robert G., Dr., 315
Haworth. Alice, 492

George R., 492

Joseph C, 491, 492
Hendey, Arthur, 479

Henry J., 479
Hill, Jared, 11

Robert W., 11

Samuel, 11
Hilliard, Adelaide C, 240

Charlotte D., 240

Elisha C, 240

Elisha E., 239
Hillyer, Appleton R., 273

Charles T., Gen., 273

Dotha B.. 274
Holbrook, Helen, 396

N. D., 396
Hooker, Bryan E., 2i6

Edward W., 216

Mary M., 219

Thomas, Rev., 216
Hubbard, Alice B., 366

Dudley W., 366

Richard D., 362

William D., 362, 366
Humphrey, Clayton W., 261

Ella G., 261

Lucius, 260

Lucius C, 260

Lucius E., 261
Hunt, Clark M., 393

Harold L, 394

Jennie E., 394

Merritt, 393
Huntington, Alonzo C, 112

Charles G., 419

Clark C, 113

Henry A., 112

Mabel. 419

Mary M., 113

Walter T., 113
Hurlburt, Henry W., 207

Joseph O., 207

Mary L., 208
Hyde, Alvan, 269

Alvan P., 269

Alvan W., 272

Helen E., 272

William, 269

William W., 269

Irving, Henry W., 459

Judson. Daniel, 25
Minnie L., 27
Stiles, 25
William, 25

Kimball, Arthur R., 41
King, Charles, 193

Maria C, 194

Seth, 193

William H., 193
Kingsbury, Alathea R., 34

Alice E., 34

Charles D., 29

Daniel, Dr., 221

Edith D., 34

Eliza, 31

Frederick J., 29, 31. 34

John, Judge, 29

Lucy M., 223

Mary A., 223

Mary C, 223

Sanford, 221

William S., 223
Kinnev, Ezra D., Rev., 137

John C, 137

Sara E., 139
Knox, Daniel, 388

Harry R., 388

John B., 388

Robert, 388

Loomis, Allyn, 107

D wight, 119

Elam, Capt., 119

Jennie, 107

Jennie E., 122

Jennie G., 107

Joseph, 105

Mary E., 121

Odiah, 105

Thomas W., 105
Lord, Horace G., 229
Lyman, Dwight E., 471

Frank P., 472

Richard P., 472

Sarah A., 471

McArdle, John H., Dr., 37

Margaret, 38
McClary, Jennie, 135

John,' 134
Maxwell, Francis T., 215

George, 213

Harriet, 215

Robert, 215

Sylvester, 213

William, 215
Merriman, Charles, 13

Charles B., 13

Helen, 14

Mary M., 14

Nathaniel, Capt., 13

William H., 13
Migeon, Achille F., 167, 168

Elizabeth F., 170

Henri, 167
Mix, Clarissa C, 447

538

INDEX

Eliza F., 447

George H., 447

John G., 446

Martha I., 447

Samuel, 446
Moore, Amos, 237

Asa, 237

Ida P., 238

Jonah, 237

Pliny, 237

Ridout, 237

William A., 237, 238

William C, 238
Morcom, Clifford B., 250

Frederick C., 250

James, 249

James J., 249

Mary A., 250

William J., 250

Norton, Aurelia, 235
Elizabeth E., 236
George, 234
George W., 236
Ichabod, Col., 234
Seth P., 234

Oakes, Mary E., 256

Thomas, 255
Orcutt, Dorothy E., 89

Ella L., 89

Frances L., 87

William, 84

William F., 88

William R., 84, 87

Pardee, Dwight W., 301

George, 299

Henrietta, 302

Jared W., Dr., 299

Leavitt, 299

Ruth N., 299

Sarah N., 300
Parker, Emma S., 98

John D., 98

Lucius, 97

Lucius R., 98

Rienzi B., 97
Parsons, Alice, 197

Betsey M., 401

Erastus, 400

John G., 400

John K., 401

John S., 196

Martin L., 196
Perkins, Charles, 312

J. Deming, 312

J. Deming, Jr., 314

Margaretta, 314
Perrin, Morris L., 530

Nicholas, 530

Roxanna, 531

Phelps, Ellen M., 186

George W., 185

Launcelot, 186

William, 185

William H., 185, 186
Phillips, Agnes D., 46

Andrew W., 45

Dennison, 45

Maria S., 46
Pickering, Elizabeth P., 504

Thomas, 503

Thomas R., 505

William H., 503
Piatt, Annie, 267

Daniel G., 267

James P., 267

Jeannie P., 267

Orville H., 262
Plumb, David, 4

David W., 4

Louise, 5

Noah, 4
Pomeroy, Charles G., 382

Chauncey, 381

Maria E., 382
Pratt, Daniel, 449

Edward L., Dr., 189

Frances E., 423

Harriett G.. 423

Henry G., 189

James C, Capt., 511, 512

Jennie A., 513

Joseph, 511. 513

Marguerite C, 449

Nathaniel M., 422

Rufus N., 422

Seth, 449
Preston, Edward H., 147

George, 148

G. H., Dr., 147

Isabelle E., 148
Price. George T., 490

Robert, 488

Sarah N., 490

Rice, Archibald E., 15, 17

Frederick B., 15

Helen M., 17
Risley. Ann W., 227

Elisha, 225

Emily W.. 227

George E., 227

Ralph, 225

Ralph G., 227

Sarah, 227
Roberts, Caroline L., 206

Emily, 205

Hiram, 204

Lemuel, 205

Polly, 205
Robbins, Cordelia P., 248

Fay L., 248

Frederick A., 247

Frederick A., Jr., 248

Philemon F., 247
Rockhill, Edith H., 311

Thomas C, 309

William W., 309
Root, Isabella S., 61

John, 59

John G., 59

Silas, 59
Rose, Edwin E., 356

Edwin H., 357

Jesse T., 357

Madeline A., 357

Sage, Elizabeth V., 202

Henry P., Dr., 202

William H.. Dr., 201
Scott, Henry W., 244

M. Bradford, 242

Mary E., 243

Moses, 243
Selden, Emma, 392

Hezekiah, 390

Joseph, 390

Lavinia, 392
Sessions, Albert L., 24

Alexander, 22

John H., 22, 23

Maria F., 24

William E., 22
Seymour, Edward W., 284

Mary F., 286

Origen S., 285
Shepard, Charles, Rev., 21
Simons, David, 413

George O., 413

Josephine L., 414
Smith, Barbara E., 348

Charles H., 152

Clarabel, 64

Edward A., Rev., 514

Elisha, 152

Ernest W., 515

Franklin J., 416

Harriet E., 153

Herbert A., 416

Herbert K., 515

Isaac E., 514

Jane T., 154

Julia A., 416

Laura, 416

Lyman, 346

Lyman D., 346

Martha C, 348

Melissa K., 515

Neil H.. 416

Oliver C, Dr., 63

Oliver H., 64

Richard, 152

Robert K., 154

William B., 63

INDEX

539

Spaulding, Elizabeth R., 183
Grace W., 184
Jay E., 181
Lockwood, 181
Stager, Ernest D., 505
Steele, Agnes E., 464
Edward D., 79
George R., 462
Harry M., 80
Hiram, 79
Jeannette T., 462
John, Mrs., 466
John W., 462
Sarah C, 80
Storrs, Daniel, 342
Lewis A., 343
Mary, 343
Samuel, 342
Thomas, 342
Zalmon, 342
Zalmon A., 342
Stoughton, Andrew, 369,37:
Edward C, 371
George A., 369, 371
George N., 371
Mary A., 371
Strong, Annie P., 142
Edwin, 141
Edwin A., 142
Ezra, 141
Louie P., 143
Strunz, Otto F., 159
S. Addie, 161
William, 159
Swasey, Agnes, 441
Charles L., Dr., 440
Erastus P., Dr., 440
Hope S., 441
Swift, Earl, 432
Rowland, 432
Sarah B., 433

Talcott, Benjamin, 100

Elizur, Col., 100

George, loi

John, 99

Mary K., 103

Mary, 103

Russell, 102

Russell G., 102

Samuel, Capt., 100
Tilton, Albert, 230

David, 228

Fred N., 230

Lela A., 230
Marv J., 229
Tracy, Bertha, 278
Ellsworth M., 277
Morton, 277
Treadway, Charles, 155
Charles S., 155
Charles T., 157
Lucy H., 158
Lucy M., 158
Margaret, 157
Morton C, 158
Townsend G., 158
Turner, Harriet A., 499
Sturgis P., 498
Welles, 498
William H., 498
Tuttle, Bronson B., i
Howard B., 2
Jane, 75
Louisa, ■]~
Mary A., 2
Miles A., 72, 73
Reuel C, no
Reuel H., Rev., 108
Samuel, 72, 108
Samuel L, T]
Sarah, 75
Sarah A., no
William, 72, 108
William F., 74

Waldo, Cornelius, 270

Ebenezer, 270

Edward, 270

John, 270

Loren P., 270

Zachariah, 270
Weller, Frances M., 246

Raymond F., 246

Robert, 245
Welles, Catherine S., 502

Frederick, Hon., 500, 501

Joseph, 500

Leonard, 500

Samuel, Capt., 500
White, Eleazer S., 292

Henry C, 293

Jennie M., 293

John H., 292, 293

Nelson C, 293
Whitman, Caroline E., 57

Charles L., 56

John, 56

William, 56
Whitney, Clarence, 208

Nellie M., 208
Whittemore, Harris, 10
John H., 7
Joseph, 7
Tulia A., 10
William H., Rev., 7
Wilcox, Alice L., 522
Harriet C, 522
Justus D., 521
Lucian S., Dr., 521
Williams, David W., 123, 124
Helen P., 125
James B., 123
Jennie G., 125
Robert, 123
Williamson, Agnes B., 36
Elizabeth, 36
Harry H., 36
James, 35
James R., 36
Tohn H., 35
John K., 36
Julia, 36
Winchell, Cyrus, 92
Wood, Annie E., 529
Edson F., 528
Ethel, 283
Ethel E., 529
Frances P., 283
Francis, 528
Freeman, 282
Henry O., 376
Herbert E., 529
Jennie, 529
John H., 375
Mary, 376

William J., Maj., 282
Woodhouse, David R., 431
Elvira, 431
James M., 431
Mary A., 429
Samuel, 429
Samuel D., 431
Samuel N., 429. 43°
Worcester, Joshua, 458
Wordin, Eliza W., 49
Nathaniel E., Dr., 47
William, Capt., 47
Workman, George D., 176
James, 176
John, 177
Samuel, 176

2043

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